Geisha... Life Behind the Mask
by Hikari AkA machi NO tenshi
Summary: (OK minna, last chapter is up... *sniff* Hope you all enjoy.) This is an alternate reality story based on the life of Japanese courtesans and what happens to one of them when she comes across an American businessman. ^-^ USAxMAMO
1. Geisha Terms and Dictionary

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask@  
Story by Hikari machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: G  
Genre: Alt.Reality  
Part: Author's Notes  
  
  
AN:  
Since a lot of people have asked me what geisha are  
and stuff like that, I decided to send out a little  
term sheet (kinda). I only put the real basics down  
because I don't know if I'll be doing any mayor Japa-  
nese references. I'm going to try to keep this as  
"American" as I can.  
  
Please keep in mind that I have never been inside an  
actual geisha house (mainly because women outside the  
profession aren't allowed there) so don't be too fussy  
with me about some of my descriptions.  
  
If there are any other things that appear in my story,  
feel free to email me and I'll be sure to answer you.  
  
Jya Ne!!  
ATT: /6.~\ Hika-Chu /6.~\  
AKA: Machi NO Tenshi  
  
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+  
  
SOME GEISHA TERMINOLOGY  
  
- As a personal note to you, my readers, may I   
establish the important fact that "TRUE" Geisha   
are NOT prostitutes!!  
  
Geisha Terms and Dictionary:  
  
*Danna: A geisha's husband. Well, kinda...   
to him, the geisha is his mistress.  
  
*Futon: A bed that's like a sleeping bag.  
  
*Geisha / Geiko: Women that live by art.  
  
*Geta: Japanese sandals.  
  
*Kimono: A silk garment type robe.  
  
*Maiko: An apprentice geisha.  
  
*Mizuage: The ceremony act in which a maiko   
is de-flowered to become a geisha.  
  
*Mama-san: Usually the master of the house.  
  
*Obi: Sash that is tied around the kimono to   
help it stay in place. Kinda like a belt.  
  
*Sake: Alcoholic drink that's made out of   
fermented rice.  
  
*Yukatta: A cotton garment that looks like a   
kimono but has shorter sleeves and is not made of silk. 


	2. Prologue

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask@  
Story by Hikari machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: PG  
Genre: Alt.Reality  
Part: Prologue  
  
  
Hikari's AN-  
This is another Alternate Reality story and I'd like to explain a   
little of it to you. As the title says, this story is about Geisha   
and their way of life... but in truth, it's a romance story.  
I got the idea for this fic due to this girl that used to go to   
school with. She dropped out of junior high to become a Geisha and   
I haven't heard from her since. I hope everything worked out fine.   
  
  
  
Prologue:  
  
A white blanket of snow enveloped the silent streets of   
Gion, Kyoto. Above, sparkling stars lit up the night sky. And   
on earth, a lonely girl with inky black hair in a peach-like shape   
slowly strode towards the heart of the suburb... the "flower-and  
-willow" world.  
  
She was a petit figure who wore a traditional silk kimono   
in the shade of spring cherry blossoms. The tiny white flowers   
on the expensive fabric were outlined by golden thread. At her   
waist, a dark blue obi tied at the back in a bow, secured the   
dress in place.  
  
The girl raised her ivory head towards the full moon, her   
blue eyes opening fully to take in the majesty of the night. She   
could see the snow falling like feathers from the sky. She could   
feel the crystalline flakes melting on contact with her warm cheeks.  
  
'Yes,' she thought. 'It had been on a night like this.   
Nine years ago...'  
  
  
*/^.^\* flashback */^.^\*  
  
Amidst the crowd at the Tokyo Train Station, a young child   
of merely six years of age held on possessively to her mother's   
hand. She was being maneuvered around clumps of people at an   
exceedingly fast pace. Then, suddenly, she was slammed to a halt   
as she collided with her mother's legs.  
  
She heard her mother ask, "Do you have the money?" To a   
man who stood in front of them.  
  
He was dressed in a gray business suit and black shoes.   
The suit was pressed and topped off with a black tie. His skin   
seemed tan in the dim lights of the train station, giving him the   
appearance of uncleanly-ness.  
  
"Yeah..." He replied as he took his hands out of his   
pockets and grabbed the suitcase next to him. "I got your money."   
He looked down at the child in dislike making a pointing gesture   
with his chin as he asked, "Is that the kid?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
The man bent down to the girl's height and began   
scrutinizing her. He opened her mouth and looked at her teeth.   
He examined her eyes, nose and ears, pausing only after scanning   
her hair. He looked up at the girl's mother and pointed to the   
kid's hair. "Has it always been this color or did you bleach it?"  
  
"No. She's always been a blond." The woman lowered her   
head, closing her eyes as if in pain. "She gets it from her father."  
  
"Alright." The man stood up taking the child's hand in   
his. Extending the suitcase to the woman, he bowed and placed   
it at her feet. "I'll take her."  
  
The woman grabbed the suitcase and turned to leave.   
Almost instantly, she could hear in the background the screams   
of a girl begging for her mother. Her face lowered as a single   
tear escaped from her eye. "I'll miss you Usa-chan."  
  
*/^.^\* end of flashback */^.^\*  
  
  
The girl grabbed the sleeve of her kimono and wiped away   
the tears that had streaked her face in a very unladylike manner.   
Then, her blue eyes took notice of a white blotch on her dress'   
sleeve. Her makeup had rubbed off!  
  
'Mama-san will not be pleased.' She thought as she neared   
the corner where the okiya she lived in was located. Walking   
quietly up the steps, she opened the door and discarded her geta   
on the floor.  
  
"Usagi-san, is that you?" She heard a woman's voice yell.   
"Are you back already from the Geisha Tea Party?"  
  
"Hai Mama-san." Usagi made her way into the small tatami   
living room. "Tadaimasu." She said as she bowed formally to   
the woman in front of her and sat herself on her knees.  
  
The lady bowed her head in response while answering,   
"Okaerinasai." Then, she looked at Usagi's face, her face muscles   
tightened at the sight. "What happened to your face?"  
  
Usagi lowered her head. "The makeup smeared."  
  
"Smeared?!" Mama-san replied incredulously. "A Geisha's   
makeup *never* gets smeared."  
  
"But I'm a Maiko, not a Geisha." Usagi tried to argue   
but then wished she hadn't even opened her mouth.  
  
Mama-san stood and looked at her in disgust. "And you   
shall never become a Geisha with the way you behave!" She strode   
past Usagi and stopped at the door before retiring to her room.   
"Go wash up your face and go to bed."  
  
She was about to leave, when she remembered something   
else. "Oh, and Usagi? You'd better make sure that if you got   
that kimono dirty... you clean it up before Obaa-san finds out.   
Otherwise, I'll have to punish you." She looked at Usagi with   
her angry stare. "And you know what I mean."  
  
Usagi lowered her head guiltily as she acknowledged her   
mistake. "Yes Mama-san."  
  
After Mama-san had left, Usagi called it a night and went   
to her room. Discarding slowly and neatly her wig, obi, and each   
one of the three kimonos she wore, Usagi went to the water tub she   
kept in her room to clean up her face and neck.  
  
With a sponge, she wiped away the white layer that hid   
her true skin color from the world. Passing the water-soaked   
sponge through her eyelids, the red and black lines that outlined   
her upper lids, vanished. Now, she looked at herself in the   
mirror. Half of her face still had part of her makeup on.  
  
Usagi looked intently at the made-up side of her face,   
her eyes beginning to water. 'That's not the *real* me.' She   
thought, and began to wipe the rest of the makeup. Once finished   
she spoke, staring angrily at her reflection. "And neither are   
*you*!"  
  
Tiredly walking to her futon, Usagi untied and discarded   
the cloth that confined her hair. Waves of shimmering gold   
cascaded down to her shoulders. After brushing it slowly,   
wringing out the knots, Usagi laid her head upon her pillow and   
cried herself to sleep as she so often did on winter nights.  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
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Well people,  
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!! E-mail us both with your comments.   
Also, if you think I should send out a terms dictionary, e-mail me!  
  
JYA NE!  
Hikari & Lazuli  



	3. Chapter 1

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask@  
Story by Hikari machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: PG  
Genre: Alt.Reality  
Part: Chapter 1  
  
  
AN (9/25/00)-  
Hey guys!! I'm so happy I finally finished this   
chapter. I'm not to pleased with the quality of it   
though. I've been very tiered lately and I have been   
adding things anytime I get a chance to. But I'm   
please anyhow about the how its coming along.  
I thank you guys so much for sticking with me!!  
KEEP THOSE EMAILS COMING!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 1:   
  
  
Eight Years Later, Early Fall...  
  
An ivory haired man, with deep ultramarine blue   
eyes stepped off of the plane and into one of the halls   
at the Tokyo International Airport. After getting his   
bags, he looked for any sign that would say "Darien   
Shields." Masahiro Kigai, his new boss over in this   
country, had told him that someone, if not himself,   
would be waiting for him when he arrived.  
  
Darien Shields had come to Japan in order to   
represent the American branch of the Yamada Company.   
He had had to undergo a rigorous 'crash-course' in the   
Japanese language and culture for the past two months   
with a personal tutor that the company had hired for   
him. Learning things in a classroom was fine, if you   
were never going to go anywhere, but Darien wondered   
how different Japan would be from what he had expected.  
  
By pure luck, Darien was able to spot the sign   
with his name through the crowd. As he weaved himself   
in between the multitude, Darien finally reached the   
brown haired, medium sized man with dark glasses that   
was holding the sign. Remembering how he should meet   
people in Japan, Darien bowed slightly and with a thick   
American accent said, "Ohayoo."  
  
The man gave an estranged expression and tried   
to suppress a laugh. Taking off his sun-glasses and   
showing off his Caucasian brown eyes, the man smiled at   
Darien and said in perfect English, "What are you doing   
saying 'Good Morning?' It's eight pm."  
  
Darien's jaw practically fell as he heard the   
man and realized his mistake. He had thought that   
'Ohayou' could also be used for saying 'Hi' in Japanese.  
Giving a sheepish grin, Darien raked his fingers through  
his hair. "Sorry."  
  
"It's alright." The man said as he shrugged it   
off. "Anyone can make that mistake on their first time   
here."  
  
"Wait a second!" Darien said as it finally   
dawned on him that the man he spoke to was obviously   
not Japanese. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm your new partner," the man answered as he   
extended his hand to Darien. "The name's Max Parker."  
  
"Darien Shields."  
  
Max grinned as he led Darien away towards the   
car. "I know."  
  
Getting into the automobile, Max drove Darien   
to the hotel where he would be staying at until he was   
able to find a suitable apartment to live in. After   
settling Darien in with all of his bags, Max bid him   
farewell and reminded him to be at work first thing on   
Monday morning.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"I guess this is it," Darien said as the   
elevator stopped and the doors opened on the fifteenth   
floor of the Yamada building.  
  
Stepping shyly out of the modern metal lift,   
Darien walked towards the office number that was written  
in the paper he held nervously on his right hand. He   
was dressed in a green/gray business suit with a black   
tie, which he constantly rechecked to make sure it was   
straight. Taking a deep breath as he reached the room   
whose number he had, Darien knocked, turned the knob   
and went in.  
  
Sitting in front of him, with a serious look on   
his face, was his new boss Masahiro Kigai. He was what   
you could call a typical Japanese man... straight short   
black hair, slit black eyes, and the usual oval shaped   
face which oriental people where very recognized for.  
  
Before Darien was able to utter a word of   
greeting, his new boss stood and walked over to him.   
Looking Darien straight in the eyes, Mr. Kigai grabbed   
his hand and shook it with vigor as he said in a very   
strained English, "Uerukome!!"  
  
Loosing his tenseness, Darien smiled at Mr.   
Kigai. "Arigatou," he answered, shaking the man's hand   
with the same force Mr. Kigai shook his.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Late November...  
  
"So Darien," Max began as he placed his arm   
around his partner's neck. "I heard The Boss was so   
pleased with the suggestion we passed to him about the   
commercial adjustment settings *that* he might consider   
taking us to celebrate at a Geisha Party."  
  
"*Geisha Party*?" Darien's brow raised in query.  
"OH! You mean the pale women in kimonos."  
  
Max's face nearly fell. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN   
'PALE WOMEN IN KIMONOS!!'" Waving his index finger   
in a reprimanding manner at Darien, Max continued.   
"*GEISHA*, for your information, are Japanese courtesans.  
They are beautiful, graceful creatures that stand for   
raw sexuality. They talk to you about things you want   
to hear, they avoid the subjects you don't want to talk   
about, and anything that goes on between the two of you   
stays secret." Heaving a sigh, Max looked dreamily   
towards the ceiling. "Ah... the way all women *should*   
be."  
  
"But..." countered Darien as he brought Max   
down from his wishful dream. "Aren't they considered   
prostitutes?"  
  
"Man, did they teach you nothing about Japanese   
culture?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean," began Max. "That what you just said   
would not only insult the geisha, but it would even go   
as far as insulting the president of Japan!"  
  
"OH!" Darien said as he thought for a moment.   
"So what are they then?"  
  
"I- Think of them as *entertainers*, ok?"  
  
"Parker-san, Shields-san..." Mr. Kigai   
interrupted over the intercom. "Please come to my   
office as soon as possible."  
  
Darien walked around the desk and pressed the   
buzzer. "Hai, Kigai-sama. We're on our way."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
The door closed as Max and Darien stepped inside  
the office. Mr. Kigai was waiting for them, sitting in   
a chair at his desk with a broad smile on his face.   
Standing up to greet them, Masahiro's smile grew wider.   
"Omedetou Shields-san, Parker-san. Your proposition was  
accepted by the board and will be put into effect in   
January."  
  
"That's great sir!" Max said as he smiled   
slyly. "We should celebrate!"  
  
Masahiro caught Max's blunt insinuation and   
guessed that they were in on his plans. "Alright,   
alright." He began. "I see someone has told you about   
my surprise... I *suppose* it doesn't matter." Mr.   
Kigai went back to his desk and searched through his   
drawers for some paper.  
  
After finding the slips and writing something   
on them, he handed one to both Darien and Max. "These   
are the directions to the Geisha Tea-house that's   
located here in Tokyo. You won't have to worry about   
the cost, the company will pay your share. Just be   
there this Saturday at 9 p.m."  
  
"Hai, Kigai-sama." They both answered as they   
bowed. "Domo Arigatou."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
That night, as Darien looked at the direction   
written on his piece of paper, he noticed how close it   
was to where he was now living. Then, it dawned on him   
that there really was a lot about the Japanese culture   
that he knew nothing about. And it almost scared him   
that, had he made that 'geisha comment' to his boss, he   
could have insulted him greatly.  
  
"Well I really don't have time right now to cram   
my brain full of information about geisha." Darien said   
with a sigh as he lay back in bed, placing his hands   
behind his head. "I guess I'll just have to find a way   
to wing it and make sure I don't say anything wrong."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Saturday Morning at a Hotel in Tokyo...  
  
"Breath in!" A man ordered once again as he   
tied a light sky-blue obi tightly around the dark blue   
kimono with lotus flower imprints that a petit woman   
with her hair up in a cloth wore.  
  
"I am breathing in!" The she argued. "If I   
were capable of breathing in deeper, my lungs would   
cave in!"  
  
A dark haired girl in a dark green kimono with   
red line designs on the bottom rim entered the room   
scowling. "Don't argue; Just do! I could hear you   
complaining from the other side of the door."  
  
"I AM DOING IT, REI! SO JUST SHUT UP!" The   
girl screamed.  
  
The man finally finished tying the obi and after  
taking his things, he walked up to Rei. "You know what   
her problem is?" He said, stopping only to allow the   
other girl to listen in. "She's not built like a Geisha,  
she has big breasts." And after his rude comment on the  
girl's structure, he left.  
  
"BASTARD!" The girl screamed as she threw a   
brush at the closing door, ignoring Rei's presence or   
possible judgment. Then, walking towards the dresser,   
she placed her wig on and raised her blue eyes to the   
mirror. "I am a Geisha."   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Saturday Night at the Geisha Tea-house...  
  
Darien, Max, Mr. Kigai, and about nine more men   
from the Yamada Company's elite circle where seated in   
two parallel lines as one geisha played the samisen and   
two others danced for their enjoyment- their movements   
precise and elaborate in their story telling. The sweet   
sad sounding music, making an impact on each of the   
watchers emotions.  
  
Darien had never thought he'd feel so moved when  
hearing the simple sounds from a foreign instrument.   
And the combination of sound and choreography was   
incredible! But it was when the music was reaching   
its climax that the shouji screen slid, and Darien's   
eyes were met by the cerulean blue iris of a new coming   
geisha.  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+  
  
MORE AN!! (Aren't you excited?)  
Just to let you know that I started Chapter 2 already  
and that pretty soon you'll get a short one part story  
that I'm almost finished with.  
So motivate me some more by droping me a line and  
telling me what you think of what I write, k?  
  
JYA!  
  
ATT: */^.^\* HIKA-CHU */^.^\* 


	4. Chapter 2

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask@  
Story by Hikari machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: PG  
Genre: Alt.Reality  
Part: Chapter 2  
  
  
AN (10/08/00)-  
OH MY GOSH!!! I'M SO HAPPY! I WROTE CHAPTER TWO IN  
TWO WEEKS TIME!! I'M BACK TO MY OLD ROUTINE. (But don't  
count this as a usuall occurance, k?)  
Well, I worked really hard to get this chapter out,  
so I hope to get A LOT of feed back. K?  
PS: More AN'S at the bottom!! (Read them, ONEGAI?)  
  
  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
Her proud posture, her white porcelain-like   
face, her cherry-red lips, her beautiful blue eyes;   
it was like she had been called to arrive at the exact   
time that the music reached its pinnacle point... and   
Darien, the poor spellbound fool, could only stare with   
his jaw a-gape as the girl made eye contact with him.  
  
She gave him a coy smile as she turned to the   
woman playing the samisen and bowed saying, "Gomen-  
nasai." She then bowed to the men and, while hiking   
up her kimono just enough so she could walk without   
tripping, looked for a placed to sit down.  
  
Luckily for Darien, there was room at both   
sides to where he was seated and he was almost sure   
that she would sit next to him. As he saw her move   
in his direction, his heat began to beat faster with   
every step she took. He turned his face away, trying   
to avoid making eye contact as she sat next to him.  
  
Slowly, he glanced to his right side, where   
he had seen her head, and was surprised when he found   
her not there! Now, turning his face fully to the side,  
he saw that she had chosen to sit in between Max and   
some other guy from the company. As he looked, his   
eyes caught hers and she gave him a secretive knowing   
smile before laughing at something Max whispered in her   
ear. It was in that instance that he realized she had   
purposely chosen not to sit next to him.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
As the night progressed, Darien saw the geisha   
move around the party entertaining each guest personally  
for short periods of time. He had gotten to talk to   
some of them, but not the one he wanted. Currently, a   
very pretty geisha whose name was Rei, was charming him   
with her silly stories.  
  
"Gomen. Demo-" Darien interrupted. "What does  
your name mean?"  
  
Rei gave a small laugh. "It means soul." She   
answered as she touched her chest pointing to her heart   
in order to further explain herself.  
  
"And..." Darien ventured on. "Do you know the   
names of the rest of the geisha present?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Could you- " Darien said as he began to blush.   
"Could you tell me the name of the girl in blue?"  
  
"Aoi?" She repeated. "Kanojo wa doko ni imasu   
ka?"  
  
"The one with the blue eyes."  
  
Rei's eyes widened at Darien's comment. "Is   
she the one laughing with the man in gray?"  
  
"Hai," Darien smiled. "That's her."  
  
"That's Usagi." Rei said while smiling with   
longing. And before Darien knew it, Rei had stood up   
and walked towards the porcelain doll he had been   
admiring all night. She said something to the girl and   
then... Darien saw her walk his way.  
  
As she sat down next to him, her sweet lips   
broke into a smile and she bowed her head saying   
"Konbanwa," in the most delicate manner he had ever   
heard.  
  
"K- Konbanwa." He replied as he was once again   
being smitten by her charms.  
  
"My friend Rei told me that you wanted to speak   
with me?" She asked as she began to pour him a cup of   
sake.  
  
"Uh, yeah. I did." He said as he accepted the   
cup. "Arigatou."  
  
"So," she smiled. "What did you wish to speak   
to me about?"  
  
"I- I was wondering what your name meant."   
Darien said without thinking, while cursing himself   
for an idiot. He already knew what the girl's name   
meant. There was only one thing it could mean because   
usagi stood for rabbit and no other word.  
  
Usagi raised her left hand to cover her lips   
as she giggled. "It means rabbit." She answered.   
"But that wasn't what you really wished to ask me, ne?"  
  
"Un." Darien said. "That was."  
  
"Usotsuki." Usagi called him.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"I say you are liar." She said in English.  
  
Darien was astounded. "You know English!"  
  
"Small little." She continued. "My danna   
teach me."  
  
"Your what?" He asked.  
  
Then he saw her face change. "Tomodachi." She   
answered in response.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"But you're still a liar." She now went on in   
Japanese. "I know that what you really met to ask me   
was why I hadn't talked to you all night."  
  
He grew serious as he stared into her eyes.   
"And why was that?"  
  
She gave him once again that coy smile that had   
charmed him the first time. Then, nearing her lips to   
his ear, she whispered softly. "Because you're always   
supposed to save the best for last."  
  
Darien nearly choked as he heard her. He was   
beginning to believe that he had had enough sake for   
the night. But new very well that that wasn't true...   
so, in his mind, maybe what he needed was actually MORE   
sake.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
The night had ended and Darien, drunk on sake,   
was back at his apartment. As he rested on his bed,   
he remembered how he had joined in the geisha games   
and cheered with the men as the geisha danced once   
again for their enjoyment. But, as he placed his hand   
inside his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, he   
gazed at the greatest accomplishment of the night...   
Usagi's business card.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"ARE YOU TRYING TO GET IN TROUBLE?" Rei yelled   
at Usagi once they where inside their hotel room.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I saw how you were acting with that American   
man." Rei said as she began pacing the room. "Do you   
know what could happen to you if your danna found out?"  
  
"I couldn't care less." Usagi said in an   
annoyed tone as she discarded her wig. "And besides, I   
was just flirting with him. Isn't that part of my job?"  
  
"I know, but I also know that your danna is a   
very jealous man. If he were to find out he could brake  
the arrangement and then with what face would you see   
Mama-san?"  
  
"Rei... you worry too much." Usagi said as she   
began to remove her make-up. "Do you really believe  
that I'll ever see that man again?"  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+  
  
BA-BA-BA-BAM....  
  
So, are you guys wondering what will happen next?  
  
You're gonna have to email me and prove that you  
want it. Show me how much you want me to write the  
next chapter up!  
  
EMAIL ME! - Machi_NO_Tenshi@Excite.Com  
  
JYA NE!  
ATT: */^.^\* HIKA-CHU */^.^\* 


	5. Chapter 3

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask  
Author: Hikari  
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: PG-13  
Genre: Alt.Reality  
Part: Chapter 3  
  
  
AN (10/28/00)-  
I AM *SO* INCREDIBLY SORRY TO HAVE TAKEN SO LONG TO  
WRITE THIS CHAPTER UP BUT, BESIDES HAVING SOME SCRIPT  
PROBLEMS AND A LITTLE WRITER'S BLOCK... I'VE ALSO HAD  
AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF HOMEWORK. (SO MUCH ACTUALLY,  
THAT LAST WEEKEND I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO SEE THE SUN!!)  
ANYWAYS, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT NONE OF YOU CARE ABOUT  
MY PITIFULL LITTLE LIFE SO I'LL JUST LET YOU READ ON!  
  
  
  
Chapter 3:   
  
A geisha with a blue kimono walked slowly   
towards Darien through the darkness. Her pale face   
and dark red lips accented the luscious curve of her   
small mouth and made her features noticeable from   
within the shadows. The face of the woman belonged   
to Usagi.  
  
She gave him a solemn yet captivating look,   
enticing him to come near her. Darien, enthralled,   
moved towards her petit figure and let his arms   
encircle her waist- pulling her closer to him. Usagi   
let her small pink tongue trace the curve of her upper   
lip while keeping eye contact with him. Then, showing   
him her pearly white teeth as her mouth upturned into   
a seductive smile, she encouraged him to kiss her.  
  
Darien jumped at the opportunity, crushing her   
delicate body against his, capturing her mouth with his   
own. He savored the feel of her petal soft lips, and   
with his tongue, he coaxed her mouth open for his   
exploration. Her essence tasted like caramel to him,   
and he wished he could sedate his thirst through her...   
  
...But sugar will only cause you to be thirstier.  
  
Darien slowly broke the kiss, smiling down at   
the woman he held within his embrace. Usagi smiled at   
him and raised her lips to whisper in his ear. "I know   
the question you are asking yourself."  
  
He breathed in her scent with his intake of air.   
"And do you know the answer?" Darien said as he held   
her tighter.  
  
"You're always supposed to save the best for   
last."  
  
"BBBBBBEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppppppppppp"  
  
  
*/^.^\* end of dream */^.^\*  
  
  
"BBBBBBEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppppppppppp"  
  
"ALRIGHT ALREADY!!!" Darien screamed as he   
slammed his hand over the alarm clock. "DAMN." He   
cursed as he sat on the bed, raking his fingers through   
his hair in an exasperating manner.  
  
Getting up and walking towards the balcony,   
Darien looked at the Tokyo daybreak from his apartment.  
It was a bright yellow sunrise with streaks of orange   
mingled on the radiating rays. Darien smiled at the   
scene. He rarely got to see sunrises throughout the   
week because he worked from Monday to Saturday, but   
today, it being Sunday, he could enjoy it all he liked.  
  
"Sunday?" He asked aloud to himself as it sunk   
in that today, was his day off. "SUNDAY?!" He screamed   
at himself in a reprimanding manner as he realized that   
he could have avoided setting his alarm clock last night.  
  
How many nights did he not dream of her... How   
many nights did that same scene not relive itself in his   
dreams only to be interrupted by his alarm clock at its   
most tempting moment? More than he could count. And   
it just so happened that the only day he didn't *have*   
to wake up early... HE had set the stupid alarm clock   
anyway!  
  
Darien groaned as he debated on the possibility   
of going back to sleep in order to dream of Usagi again.   
He hadn't seen that little rabbit, as he liked to call   
her, for almost six months (this, of course, was not   
counting his dreams). Looking once again at the   
awakening city, he opted for taking a shower and going   
for a walk. After all, it was the month of May, and the   
cherry-blossom trees would be in bloom.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Darien was now sure that he was going crazy.   
He had just stopped, AGAIN, a Tokyo geisha thinking   
that she was Usagi. He had done this *so* many times,   
he would have thought that his subconscious had learned   
it's lesson. 'After all, Usagi was in Kyoto!' But   
nooo... His stupid brain had to think that any woman   
in a kimono was her!  
  
"Sukebei!!" The woman yelled at him as she tore   
herself from his grasp. Darien could only stare at her   
retreating figure. 'Had he really become so infatuated   
with Usagi that to other it might seem a little strange?'  
  
"Argh!" He groaned as he passed his fingers   
through his hair. He really didn't understand what   
the hell was going on with his brain! 'I mean,' he   
thought. 'To become obsessed over someone you have just  
met once is pretty ridiculous and it literally sounds   
psychopathic!!'  
  
"I'm not crazy!" Darien said as he shook his   
head from side to side trying to refute his thoughts.   
"And yet..." he said softly to himself. "I know I will   
never be able to forget her porcelain face and..." He   
was caught in a memory for a second, before continuing   
on. "Those eyes... those sad eyes."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Two crystal blue orbs tinted with a hint of   
desolation shone as they looked upon the man entering   
the apartment. They watched him as he took off his   
shoes, then his gray work jacket. They followed his   
movements into the living room where he placed the   
jacket on a chair.  
  
Raising his head to meet her stare, the man   
bowed his head and while smiling said, "Tadaimasu."  
  
Usagi was now standing in front of him, bowing   
down respectfully. "Okaerinasai."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
She stared at the ceiling, her body cold. 'It's  
always about him!' She thought. 'It's always about him.'   
She stood from the futon and began to place her kimono   
back on. She looked around the room. It was now empty.   
  
Gazing at herself in the mirror, she could barely   
meet her eyes. It was always this way after -  
  
"Hmp!" Usagi laughed as she looked up. She   
didn't know why she bothered to look at her appearance,   
because, after all... her wig always looked as if it   
had never even been touched. And it wasn't. Not really.  
With her danna it was always 'I'm home,' then in-out,   
and 'Goodbye.'  
  
Usagi turned off the lights of *their* apartment  
as she closed the door and left. Soon, she would be   
home where she could take a shower and lay her head down  
to sleep the night in peace.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"Usagi." He whispered in his sleep as he   
tossed in bed. Hugging the pillow tightly he murmured   
her name once more. He was dreaming of her again.  
  
With his eyes opening slowly, for some odd   
reason, he looked over at the red digital numbers of   
his alarm clock. 'IT'S FREAKIN' THREE AM!' Darien   
groaned as he grabbed his pillow and placed it over   
his head. He had to go to work tomorrow and if he   
couldn't get sleep he knew he would be cranky.  
  
Clearing his mind, he tried to think of peaceful   
things... but slowly, his dream began to replay itself   
in his eyes. Darien suddenly sat up and grabbed his   
wallet from the nightstand. Taking out a white card   
from within it, he looked at the black kanji written   
on it.  
  
"Usako." Darien whispered. He now knew what   
he should do.  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+  
  
NOT MUCH OF A CLIFFHANGER HUH?  
WELL... I'VE HAD A LOT ON MY MIND!  
  
(HERE I GO AGAIN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE THINGS I HAVE  
TO COMPLETE YET HAVEN'T BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WRITING FAN-  
FICTION, OH WELL!)  
  
CHEER ME ON IN MY DESPERATE TIMES OF EMAIL NEED!!  
EMAIL ME! - Machi_NO_Tenshi@Excite.Com  
  
JYA NE!  
ATT: */6.~\* HIKA-CHU */6.~\* 


	6. Chapter 4

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask  
Author: Hikari  
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: PG  
Part: Chapter 4  
  
  
AN (11/27/00)-  
I KNOW... I KNOW...  
IT'S BEEN ALMOST A MONTH SINCE I'VE SENT A CHAPTER.  
NO... THAT'S NOT TRUE. IT HAS BEEN A MONTH AND I AM *SO*  
SORRY PEOPLE! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I'VE HAD PART OF  
THIS CHAPTER IN MY PC. I JUST HAVEN'T HAD MY INSPIRATION  
IN THE RIGHT PLACE RIGHT NOW. WITH FINALS COMING IN ONE  
WEEK, I'VE BEEN HAVING TO WORK A LOT TO MAKE SURE MY ART  
PORTFOLIO IS LOOKING GOOD... AND THAT TAKES TIME.  
ALSO, I HAD TO DO SOME RE-WRITING 'CAUSE I ENDED UP   
CUTTING OUT A CHAPTER FROM THIS STORY, SO I HAD TO FIND   
A WAY TO FIT IN THE STUFF FROM THE CHAPTER THAT I HAD  
CUT AND MAKE IT FIT. I THINK EVERYTHING SHOULD BE FINE  
NOW.  
LOTS OF THANKS TO LAZULI-CHAN, WHO -EVEN THOUGH SHE'S  
NO LONGER CO-WRITING THIS WITH ME- STILL HELPS ME ON THE  
SIDES. ALSO, THANKS TO MY SUPER-KAWAI IMOTOU MEHGTH, WHO  
HELPED ME SOME IN THIS CHAPTER TOO. AND... SINCE I ALSO   
KNOW THAT YOU PEOPLE ARE HERE TO READ, I WILL END MY  
BLABBERING AND LET THE STORY CONTINUE!!  
  
  
Chapter 4:  
  
A man covered his eyes from the bright golden   
rays of the sun trying to look at the road ahead. The   
streets of Gion were filled with people of all kinds...   
especially of geisha. Darien smiled. As planned for   
his summer vacation, he had arrived at the city where   
Usagi lived.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"Anou-eetou..." Darien said as he shyly stepped   
into an okiya. "Sumimasen, demo... do you know if a   
geisha by the name of Usagi lives here?"  
  
"Usagi-san?"  
  
"Hai." He answered expectantly.   
  
"Iie... gomennasai."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Darien stepped inside a geisha filled room.   
"Minna-san sumimasen. But, I was wondering if a geisha   
named Usagi lives here?"  
  
"Usagi-san?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Iie."  
  
Darien bowed his head. "Arigatou."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Darien was beginning to damn the fact that he   
couldn't find his way through Gion. The streets were   
so confusing. He tried looking once more at Usagi's   
business card for any clues of her whereabouts. The   
only thing it said was 'Gion, Kyoto' and a phone number.  
  
He started to put away the card into his pocket   
until he realized his dumbest mistake. 'BAKA!' He   
screamed at himself. Quickly taking the cards out   
once again, he looked at the number and began to search   
for a payphone. Inserting his calling card inside the   
machine, he began to dial the given number.  
  
Someone answered, "Moshi-moshi?"  
  
It was a female voice. 'Could it be hers?'  
  
"Eetou... Konnichiwa. I'm looking for the   
residence of a geisha by the name of Usagi. Does she   
live there?"  
  
"Hai. She does." The woman paused for a moment.  
"Do you wish to speak with her?"  
  
Darien began to blush. "A... no! I-I actually  
wished to know the address of where she lives."  
  
"Umm..." The girl thought it over. "Let me   
ask Mama-san first."  
  
"Alright." Darien answered. In the mean time,   
he searched his pockets for a pen in order to write   
down the girl's answer.  
  
Darien looked down at his hands... they were   
shaking. Why where they doing such a thing?? Could   
it be- could it be his anxiety? What the hell was   
happening to him?! He never used to be this way.  
  
Ever since he broke off his last engagement   
he hadn't been interested in any type of woman that   
crossed his path. Yet, just one encounter with a   
geisha (of ALL people) had turned his brains to mush.   
What was it about this girl that could do such things   
to him?  
  
"-r? Sir?" He heard the woman call from the   
receiver. "Are you still there?"  
  
"Hai." He answered quickly. "I'm here."  
  
"Mama-san gave me her permission. Do you have   
something to write with?"  
  
"Hai. I do."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"So you are the man that was inquiring about   
Usagi-san, ne?" Asked an elderly looking woman dressed   
in a simple kimono.  
  
Darien bowed his head. "Hai, Obaa-san." They   
sat peacefully inside the tatami living room, their   
teacups filled with ocha atop a short wooden table.  
  
The older woman eyed him suspiciously. "May I   
ask the reason why?"  
  
"Well," Darien said as he began to blush   
slightly. "I met her- " he paused to rethink. "Almost   
a year ago, I met her at a geisha party my boss invited  
me to and that's where I met her."  
  
She smiled. "That's not what I asked you."  
  
"It isn't?" Darien's face began to turn red of   
embarrassment. "Oh yeah. Hahahaha. You asked me for   
my reason for being here, right?"  
  
"Un."  
  
"Umm... I- I was- I AM on my summer vacation   
in Kyoto and I remembered that Usagi told me that this   
was where she was from, so... I- I decided to come and   
see if I could see her once again." He finished almost   
in a whisper.  
  
"Well Shields-san, you're in luck. I happen   
to know of a party that she will be attending tonight.  
It's not reserved so you may join in if you'd like."   
The old lady began to smile. "Would you like to know   
where it is?"  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
It was nearly TWELVE O'CLOCK!! Darien had been   
waiting for almost two hours for Usagi to arrive at the   
party but there was still no sign of her. Geisha kept   
coming and going. Some of them would flirt with him   
and try to get him to join in, but no matter how hard   
their efforts were... they just couldn't get him to   
take his eyes of the door for more than five minutes.  
  
Darien stood up. He was tiered of waiting and   
all hope of seeing her tonight had just fled him.   
Obaa-san had warned him that it was never one hundred   
percent sure that Usagi would be at the party. Geisha   
came and went. They were always scheduled for a lot of   
parties and always tried to at least make one small   
appearance... but sometimes they would just skip the   
party and go home if they were very tiered.  
  
He walked towards the shouji screen. He wasn't   
going to wait anymore. Maybe Usagi not showing up was   
just a sign that... that his obsession was beginning to   
control his life. He shook his head clear of thoughts   
and extended his arm to move the screen when it swung   
open.  
  
A surprised geisha looked at him. The geisha's   
deep red lips were parted in a small and delicate 'o'.   
Her outlined, blue eyes were wide open as she stared at   
the man who was almost face to face with her.  
  
'She had come.'  
  
Darien smiled at her as he felt his insides melt  
from her closeness.  
  
'SHE HAD COME!!'  
  
Darien tried hard to fight down the urge to   
wrap his arms around her silk suited body and kiss her   
seductive full lips. All he could do was smile, as he   
stayed rooted to his spot, fearful that if he so much   
as breathed heavier that before... she might disappear.  
  
"Sumimasen." He heard her say as she bowed her   
head to him and made her way inside the tearoom.  
  
Darien turned, his eyes following her movements   
as she entered the room and bowed to everyone present.   
He saw her speak with the head geisha then sneak a peak   
at him. He saw her lips curve into a smile as she   
winked in his direction. She finished her conversation  
and began walking towards him.  
  
Darien could sense his body heat rise with   
every step she took. His heart pounded inside his   
chest, making him feel as if he would pretty soon have   
a seizure. He looked at her, his eyes catching hers.   
They still held that masked sad expression.  
  
"Konbanwa." Usagi said as she bowed her head   
to him.  
  
A boyish smile crossed his lips as he bowed   
his head to her and said happily, "Konbanwa."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"So," Usagi began as she poured him some sake   
in his cup. "You still haven't told me what you're   
doing here in Gion. Don't you live in Tokyo?"  
  
"Oh..." He began to blush. "I- I had some   
vacation time and my partner told me of how beautiful   
Gion was in the summer." Darien took a sip of his cup.   
"So I came."  
  
She smiled a secretive smile as she slowly   
closed her eyes and shook her head from side to side.   
"Then..." she raised her gaze to meet with his. "Then   
how come you were asking around for me?"  
  
Darien just gazed at her. It was always her   
eyes... Why did they hold him so? What was it about   
her gaze that always managed to keep him entranced?   
Why did her eyes always hold such a suppressed   
expression?  
  
"What is it?" She asked worried at the look   
he gave her. It was the look of a man who saw more   
than what was shown. And it angered her. "What are   
you looking at me like that for?" She bit out before   
she could mask her fear.  
  
"I- I- " He mumbled, trying to see what he did   
wrong. "I was just- "  
  
Usagi interrupted him with a nervous giggle.   
"Gomen, gomen... I did not mean that the way it   
sounded."  
  
Whispering softly, "Yes you did." He looked   
down at the tatami floor for a moment, and wondered   
how many emotions this porcelain geisha had to hide.   
Did she really like being in his company?  
  
Bringing him out of his thoughts, Usagi placed   
her hand on his shoulder giving him a sad smile and   
with a gentle - almost broken voice - she said to him   
in English, "I am sor-ry. It was not to you."  
  
Feeling an indescribable urge, Darien lifted   
his hand off him knee and guided it towards her face.   
Caressing softly Usagi's cheek, forgetting of the party   
before him, he smiled at her. "I know."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Plopping down on her futon after a tiered day   
of work, Usagi snuggled underneath her covers and tried   
to get some needed sleep. Yet, she couldn't push away   
the memories of the scenes not so long past.  
  
The American's touch.  
The way his hand softly traced the contours of   
her cheek...  
It's warmth...  
It's tenderness...  
It's sincerity...  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+  
  
OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO SAY THANK-YOU TO ALL THE PEOPLE  
THAT E-MAIL ME EVERY TIME THEY READ MY STORIES. YOUR E-  
MAILS ARE VERY MOTIVATING!! BUT PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE  
DON'T FORGET THAT ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH...  
*evil laugh*  
ESPECIALLY SINCE I KNOW THAT YOU ARE *DEFINITELY*  
GONNA BE WANTING THE NEXT CHAPTER TO BE SENT SOON.  
  
EMAIL ME! - Machi_NO_Tenshi@Excite.Com  
  
OYASUMI!  
ATT: */6.~\* HIKA-CHU */6.~\*  
  
  



	7. Chapter 5

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask  
Author: Hikari  
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: PG  
Part: Chapter 5  
  
  
AN (12/10/00)-  
YAY, YAY!!  
*does happy dance*  
I WROTE THIS IN TWO WEEK'S TIME!!  
NO LONG AUTHOR'S NOTES THIS TIME, JUST ENJOY THE FIC  
AND DON'T FORGET TO EMAIL ME, K?  
  
  
Chapter 5:  
  
Darien softly closed the door to his hotel room,   
leaning on it as he bathed in the memory of the events   
just past. He had seen her again... for what now would   
be the up-teenth time, yet he knew that he would never   
be able to get enough of her. Her smile, her lips, her   
eyes, her face, her body... they were all engraved in   
his mind, torturing him day and night. It was at this   
point that he realized how truly obsessed he was over   
her.  
  
He shook his head, while smiling sadly, as he   
directed his body towards the beckoning bed. After the   
time when her Obaa-san had told him of where Usagi would  
be, he dared not miss a geisha party the old woman   
"recommended" him to attend. Slipping under the bed   
covers, he mentally thanked her for all of her help.   
Without that old lady, he wouldn't have any clue on how   
to go about what he was planning on doing. And he   
*would* do it... he would do it... as soon as possible.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Smiling at the building, Usagi stepped out of   
the microbus and followed the rest of the geisha inside.  
Today, she would be attending a private Kabuki perfor-  
mance. The play the actors would be performing... was   
about geisha.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Darien stared out of his hotel window. He had   
been in Gion for two weeks; he had been seeing her for   
one and a half. But he didn't know anything about her!  
  
'Does she have a danna? And if so, is she happy   
with him?'  
  
'Why are her eyes always so solemn?'  
  
'Why is her expression always so masked?'  
  
'What would it feel like to be with her?'  
  
Could he... could he...  
  
Was what he was about to do, the *right* thing?  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"Oi! Yumiko-chan," one of the geisha called,   
inside a private room at the theater, as she neared her   
friend. "How are things going with your danna? You   
still having problems?"  
  
"Hai." Yumiko answered.  
  
Usagi turned her head at the sound of retreating  
footsteps. The theater guide was making his way across  
the room in order to leave, a worried expression marring  
his features. Concern and curiosity ran through her   
thoughts as she followed him outside and stopped him in   
the hall.  
  
"Daijoubu?"  
  
The man turned around in order to see who it was.  
"Hai... daijoubu. Doushite?"  
  
"Because," she stepped closer to him, "because   
you left the room in a hurry. You know..." she smiled   
at him. "We don't mind if you stay while we talk."  
  
He bowed his head. "I know. Demo..." he raised  
his face to look at hers. "I don't want to hear the   
stories you speak of."  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"I- " he began. "I don't want to know about   
the true life that geisha live. I know that it probably   
isn't very happy... but if I were to find out how things  
really are, I think it would destroy my image of what   
they stand for."  
  
Usagi looked at him with sad eyes and softly   
asked, "And what *do* we stand for?"  
  
"Perfection," the man said as he looked into   
her eyes, and gave her a gratifying smile. "You are a   
porcelain beauty, with sealed lips. You exist only in   
our dreams... in our fantasies. When people are at a   
geisha party... it's like a different world. You are   
like a doll: you have no worries... no troubles... and   
because of that, we can forget our problems when we are   
around you."  
  
Usagi felt her eyes begin to water. She couldn't  
move. She couldn't speak. She wasn't even able to stop  
the man that had bowed his head before her as he left.   
She wished to know his name.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
With the end of the kabuki performance, Usagi   
forlornly made her way back on the microbus. She still   
felt the urge to cry. She hated being considered a   
doll, and not being allowed to show any emotion. Why   
did she have to pretend to care about people who didn't   
care about her? Why did she always have to hide her   
feelings and lie?  
  
And then... she remembered her danna. She   
hated every one of them. The first one, because he   
took something that she didn't believe belonged to him.   
The rest... because that's all they wanted her for.  
  
Usagi felt her throat begin to constrict. She   
wanted to scream. She wanted to yell. She wanted...   
she wanted to be able to trust someone. She yearned   
for someone that felt the same way she did... "trapped."  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
Usagi felt cold sweat run down her back as her   
head snapped to the side. "NANI?!"  
  
"Daijoubu?" Rei asked.  
  
Usagi nodded her head slowly up and down.   
Apparently Rei had been sitting next to her since the   
microbus had taken off. "hai... daijoubu desu."  
  
Rei gave her a speculative look. "Honto?"  
  
"Un." Usagi smiled. "Honto... demo..."  
  
Rei gave her a look of concern. "Yes?"  
  
"Well..." Usagi's voice grew quiet. "Are you   
happy being a geisha?"  
  
Rei's eyes grew wide. "Why do you ask me that?"  
She became filled with worry. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"No." She shook her head for emphasis. "I'm   
fine. I just wondered if you were happy being a geisha."  
Seeing Rei's disbelieving look, she knew she had to add   
something else to her defense. "I know that some of the  
girls here aren't always too happy about who they are."  
  
Rei looked away for a moment. "I- I am happy   
being a geisha." She reclined in her chair. "It's not   
really as bad as some of the girls paint it to be." She  
smiled in reminiscence, as if going back in time. "I   
have a respected reputation. I am considered flawless   
in the eyes of men. I- " Rei's voice wavered a bit.   
"I bring joy to people."  
  
At that moment, had Usagi been looking anywhere   
but Rei's face, she might have missed the single tear   
that slid down her cheek. Not being able to withhold   
the flood of emotions that coursed through her body at   
that time, Usagi wrapped her arms about Rei and cradled   
her in comfort.  
  
"Daijoubu." Usagi whispered. "Daijoubu."  
  
"Hai. Daijoubu," Rei sniffed in agreement   
before disentangling herself from Usagi's hug. She   
wiped away the tears that had streaked her face and   
upon seeing Usagi's distraught face, she smiled. "I   
just get lonely sometimes. I think: 'I'm making all   
these people happy,' and it fills my heart with pride.   
But then, I think: 'Who will make me happy?' And I   
feel..." Rei left the sentence trail off.  
  
Usagi knew exactly how she felt. Placing her   
hand on Rei's shoulder, she said, "I know it's hard to   
trust people in the kind of business that we're in, but   
if it makes you feel any better, you can always talk   
to me."  
  
Rei smiled brightly at Usagi. "Arigatou," she   
whispered as she bowed her head in respect.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"Obaa-san," a small girl called as she peeked   
inside one of the living rooms, bowing at the same time.  
  
"Hai?" The old woman inside the room answered.  
  
"Shields-san is here to see you."  
  
Obaa-san grew silent for a moment, then, after   
taking a sip of her ocha, she looked at the child in   
front of her. "Let him pass."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"Tadaimasu." Usagi called as she got home.   
Discarding her geta, she began to make her way towards   
her room but was stopped as her imotou answered,   
"Okaerinasai." Usagi smiled politely at her and then   
continued on her path.  
  
"Chotto matte!" Called the maiko. "Obaa-san   
asked me to tell you to go see her once you got home."  
  
Usagi's expression became confused. "Obaa-san?  
Me?"  
  
"Hai." The maiko answered.  
  
"Where is she now?"  
  
"At the tea room."  
  
"Ok." Usagi said as she began to head that   
way. "Arigatou."  
  
Just as she was about to reach the room, the   
shouji screen slid and she saw Darien leave the room.   
Giving him a confused look, she walked past him and   
bowed in front of her grandmother. "You wished to   
speak with me?"  
  
"Hai." Obaa-san answered, gesturing for her   
to sit. "I did."  
  
Taking her place on the tatami floor, Usagi   
shivered with apprehension, waiting for what the old   
woman would have to tell her. 'Would it have something   
to do with the American man?'  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
On the other end of the screen, Darien awaited   
nervously the moment when Obaa-san would ask Usagi his   
question. Would she accept? Would she decline? Would   
she be happy?  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
" -and so, he has asked to be your danna."   
Obaa-san finished. "What do you have to say?"  
  
Silence fell across the room, as Usagi's face   
grew serious. And, for what must have been an eternity   
to Darien, not a word was uttered. She placed her   
teacup on the table and looking into her Obaa-san's   
expectant eyes, she bowed her head and agreed.  
  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#  
  
DO YOU WANT THE NEXT PART TO BE OUT SOON?  
*EVIL GRIN*  
THEN...  
EMAIL ME! - Machi_NO_Tenshi@Excite.Com  
  
JYA MATTA NE!!  
ATT: =^;^= HIKA-CHU =^;^=  
  
  



	8. Chapter 6

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask  
Author: Hikari  
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: R  
Part: Chapter 6  
  
  
AN (12/25/00)-  
OK PEOPLE, I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE AND APPRECIATE THIS NICE   
LITTLE HOLIDAY PRESENT FROM ME TO YOU. AFTER ALL, I WROTE  
THIS DURING MY VACATION, OUT OF SOMEONE ELSE'S COMPUTER   
AND WITHOUT MY PRELIMINARY CHAPTER SKETCH WHICH BASICALLY   
MENT I HAD TO START FROM SCRATCH. THANKS TO LAZ-CHAN FOR   
PRE-READING THIS.   
  
  
  
Chapter 6:  
  
She stared at the hotel room's door, her pasted on  
smile turning into bitter resentment as she remembered the  
speech her mother had given her this morning.  
  
^.^ flashback ^.^  
  
"Now you listen to me Usagi," Mama-san said as   
she paced the room. "You will do everything in your power  
to be nice and keep your American danna happy."  
  
Upon seeing Usagi's apathetic face she continued   
on a harsher tone. "Don't think that your other danna   
haven't complained to me in the past about your cold   
behaviour. If you didn't want them as your danna you   
shouldn't have accepted their offer."  
  
Anger rose within Usagi. "How dare you say that?!  
You know I have no choice but to except Obaa-san's wishes!"  
Usagi's eyes slitted even further and if looks could   
kill... "And besides," she continued. "If they were so   
unhappy with me, why didn't they just leave instead of   
always coming back?!"  
  
"You will keep your American danna happy, *do   
you understand*?" Mama-san repeated in clipped tones.   
"International danna can be good for business, and that   
is what Obaa-san wants. *Is that understood*?"  
  
Usagi lowered her head and clenched her fists.   
"*Hai, Mama-san,*" she answered before continuing her   
sentence with a slow venomous pitch. "*As YOU wish.*"  
  
^.^ end of flashback ^.^  
  
She had knocked. He had answered from within.   
Now, all that was left was for him to lead her inside and   
take her body like the rest of her danna had done. Not   
caring about her feelings... Not wondering if she wanted   
to or not... Just as an object to sedate their need.  
  
Yet, incredibly enough, that was her only   
salvation. If she was only considered as an object,   
they would leave her soul alone. And a body without   
a soul would not keep anyone happy for long.  
  
The door opened slowly and there he stood: wet   
black hair, deep blue eyes, seductive smile and all. He   
was wearing a pair of black trousers and a blue button-  
down shirt, which accented the color of his eyes. 'His   
eyes!' She thought alarmed as she realized they were   
roaming over her body, taking in her appearance. It took   
everything she had to prevent a blush from surfacing on   
her cheeks.  
  
She couldn't understand why she was so nervous.   
It wasn't as if this was her first danna; she had been   
doing this since she was 16. And then, for a brief   
moment, she wondered how much this new American danna   
of hers knew about geisha. Did he know that by geisha   
standards he held the status of her husband? Did he know   
that as her danna she was forced to do almost anything he   
asked? Did- did he know that besides the three underlying  
kimonos, she was naked at this very moment?  
  
"Come in." Darien said with a smile. "I was   
just finishing getting ready."  
  
Usagi discarded her geta and walked inside. She   
made her way over to the couch and sat down, waiting...   
Waiting, for what she knew was going to happen.   
Waiting... for the inevitable.  
  
"-o, do you want to or not?" Darien finished as   
he handed her a glass filled with orange juice and sat   
down beside her.  
  
"Want to what?" She squeaked. Somehow, sitting   
so close to him while being alone here in his hotel room   
made her nervous.  
  
He gave her a warm smile as he realized he had   
caught her mind elsewhere. "I asked you if you wanted   
to go to a karaoke bar tonight."  
  
"Oh," was all she could answer. Where the hell   
was her train of thought planning on taking her to?   
"What ever you'd like," she answered steadying her voice.  
  
"Alright then," he said as he stood up   
enthusiastically. "To the karaoke bar it is then!"  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"This place is packed," Darien announced as they   
walked inside, the eyes of the customers following Usagi's  
movement across the room. Why did people always have to   
gawk and point as if she were some rare or nearly extinct   
animal?  
  
"This way," she heard him call as a server   
directed them to a table. The waiter bowed -briefly   
looking at her- before leaving in order to bring back   
the order of sake and hors d'oeuvres.  
  
Once the bottle arrived, she poured him a cup   
and dared to speak with the same friendly manner she   
used during geisha parties. "So," she began. "Are you   
going to sing for me?"  
  
He blushed momentarily before accepting the drink.  
"If that's what you'd like. But..." he raked his long   
fingers through the dark silky mass that was his hair.   
"I'm not good at singing in Japanese. I don't even know   
any of the songs."  
  
"Silly," she said while laughing at him.   
"Karaoke bars have T.V. screens with the song lyrics   
passing on them!"  
  
"Well then, I guess I have no excuse." Darien   
winked at her before leaving, and walking in the direction  
of the stage. Signalling the man to play any song he   
wanted, Darien waited nervously for the lyrics to appear   
on screen.  
  
"O ta ma ya ku shi wa kaeru no ko  
"Tama zu no mago de wa? de ha? -um...  
"Na i wa i na  
"Sore ga na ni yo ri cho-sho? -um..."  
  
Darien grew silent. He had lost his pace and   
his place as the lyrics kept flashing by the screen.   
He looked towards the audience for encouragement, trying   
to find that one special face, but the stage lights   
restricted his vision. Yet, for some odd reason, he   
could *feel* her eyes on him, and for her... he would   
do *anything.*  
  
Taking a deep breath, he turned to the screen   
once more and finished the song as best he could.   
Backing away from the microphone, he made his way to the   
table and gave her a sheepish grin. "Not exactly the   
serenade you were expecting, ne?"  
  
Usagi's hear throbbed upon seeing his disappointed  
face. He looked like a lost puppy. Then, remembering   
she wasn't supposed to be enjoying his company, her   
expression turned cold. "You were fine."  
  
Sitting himself down, he grinned at her. "So,   
how 'bout you sing for me this time?"  
  
"If *you* wish."  
  
Darien was taken aback by her answer. Something   
was wrong, he could tell. "Usagi," he said shaking his   
head slowly. "Only do it if *you* want to."  
  
Slowly, Usagi stood and walked towards the stage.   
Telling the man her choice, she grabbed the microphone   
and waited for the music to start.  
  
"Ue wo mu-ite, a-ruko-  
"Namida ga kobore naiyo-ni  
"Omoidasu-, haru no hi.  
"Hito-ribo-chi no yoru-"  
  
Darien gazed at her on stage. She was stunning.   
There was something unknown about Usagi that attracted   
attention. And, by looking around the bar, he knew he   
wasn't the only one transfixed.  
  
"Shiawase wa sora no ue ni-  
"Shiawase wa tsuki no ue ni-  
"Ue o mu-ite, a-ruko-  
"Namida ga kobore naiyo-ni  
"Omoidasu-, na na na na.  
"Nana na na-na nara.  
"Nana na na-na nara."  
  
She bowed her head and placed the microphone back   
on the stand. However, it wasn't until she began to walk   
back to her table that the people began to stand and cheer  
at her performance. Usagi looked around, smiling her   
gratitude at the people, until her cerulean eyes locked   
with deep-sea blue. How those eyes could shine with such   
intensity, she did not know... all she was sure of, was   
that they only shone that way towards her.  
  
"I think tonight deserves a toast," Darien said   
as they sat down and he poured both her and himself a   
drink. "To karaoke!"  
  
"KANPAI!" She echoed happily as she downed the   
first of many drinks that would come while at the bar.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Once the night was over, Darien and Usagi took a   
cab back to his hotel room. Usagi, through out the long   
ride on the elevator, not being able to shake the feeling   
of her impending destiny. She thought she knew what was   
to come; however, something from deep within told her she   
didn't have a clue.  
  
Darien turned to face her once at the foot of his   
unlocked door. Placing his right hand on her waist, he   
moved her body closer to his. Licking his dry lips, he   
looked into her eyes. They were scared. 'Of what?' He   
didn't know, but he was sure that he could make those   
same sad eyes smile with joy... with ecstasy. He lowered   
his lips to her trembling ones, and for the first time,   
he kissed her. It was everything he had imagined and more.  
  
The slow seductive movement of Darien's mouth on   
hers was causing turmoil within her mind. For her, it   
seemed, this was the first time she had really been   
kissed. Not a cold peck on her closed mouth... Not a   
drunken man's slobbering kiss... Instead, the feel of   
a warm man's lips responding to hers, as a living   
breathing woman.  
  
"Stay the night." He pleaded softly into her ear,  
his voice filled with need.  
  
"If- If you wish." She answered trying to regain   
the cold front she had somehow lost during his kiss.  
  
"NO," he said as he hugged her body closer. "Tell  
me *you* want to."  
  
She managed to utter a broken, "yes," as tears of   
confusion began to fall down her cheeks.  
  
And that was all it took. In a second she was in   
his arms, his legs slamming shut the door and taking them   
towards the bed. On the soft covers, he sat her down,   
kissing her lips as his hands began to undo her   
traditional hairstyle.  
  
"Ya- yamete," she whispered hoarsely as her hands   
closed over his. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm trying to let your hair down. I doubt you   
sleep well with all those pins there at night." He   
grinned at her. "Or do you usually sleep like this?"  
  
Her body stiffened. "I don't."  
  
He kissed her neck. "Then let me take them off."  
  
"It's a wig," she stated as her face turned   
serious. "That's not my real hair."  
  
"Then..." He stopped what he was doing to look   
into her eyes. "Can I take it off?"  
  
Without giving him an answer, she took of the   
wig and placed it aside. Then, she untied the cloth   
that bound her hair, letting it spill down her shoulders.   
Instantly, she lowered her head as if humiliated because   
of what she had just done.  
  
She was a BLOND! This Japanese woman had natural   
*golden-blond* hair!  
  
Darien snapped out of his shock, raised her head,   
and looked into her eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked.  
  
"My hair..." she said in a whisper, " is not like   
that of other true geisha."  
  
He smiled at her. "I think it's beautiful.   
I think you're beautiful," Darien began as he ran his   
fingers through her golden strands. "Do you know how   
long I've dreamed of being able to be like this with you?  
Since the first time I saw you. You were an obsession   
for me, and I wanted to have you so badly..."  
  
There was a glimpse of something in Darien's   
eyes before he kissed her. It looked like a spark, the   
beginnings of a flame. Then, all she could feel were   
his hands on her body, untying her obi and parting her   
kimonos... one - by - one.  
  
She could not remember when he divested himself   
of his clothing, all she could recall were her eyes   
widening at the sudden sensation of two bodies becoming   
one. Why she thought of their joining in that way was   
something that her brain refused to comprehend. She had   
never before thought sex could feel like that. She had   
never before *experienced* sex that way. The only thing   
her hazy mind knew for sure was that *this* was just the   
beginning.  
  
Then, the sensations he stirred in her became   
indescribable. Pretty soon, something began to burn   
within her too. It was a feeling of unbearable torn   
emotions, and one unreachable goal. Her being only   
certain of one thing, what ever it was wanted* and   
*needed* release... soon.  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+  
  
HEHE, DID YOU LIKE WHAT YOU READ? DO YOU THINK ME EVIL   
FOR LEAVING YOU WHERE I DID? *does Ayeka laugh* WHAT   
DID YOU EXPECT? AFTER ALL, THIS IS ME WE'RE TALKING   
ABOUT! ANYWAYS, ALL COMMENTS ARE GREATLY ACCEPTED AND   
WANTED AT: Machi_NO_Tenshi@Excite.Com MAYBE IF I GET   
ENOUGH EMAILS I'LL START CH7 SOON AND SEND IT BEFORE I GO   
BACK TO COLLEGE ^.^  
  
JYA,  
*/6,~\ HIKARI-CHAN */6,~\  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Chapter 7

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask  
Author: Hikari  
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: R  
Part: Chapter 7  
  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES (2/07/01)-  
MINNA-SAN, GOMEN NE. I KNOW I HAVEN'T WRITTEN IN A MONTH  
BUT WITH CLASSES AND HOMEWORK... I HAVEN'T HAD TIME FOR  
MUCH ELSE. TO THOSE OF YOU WHOM I OWE LETTERS TO (YOU KNOW  
WHO YOU ARE) I'M LETTING YOU KNOW THAT I WILL SOON BE  
SENDING THEM OUT. OTHER THAN THAT, PLEASE ENJOY THIS  
CHAPTER AND DON'T FORGET TO SEND ME FEEDBACK!  
  
  
Chapter :  
  
"Just look at her!" An aging looking woman   
exclaimed as she grabbed the arm of a child and shook   
her for a younger woman to see. "She's not fit for this   
business!"  
  
"So, maybe she's a little... *exotic*." The other  
woman countered. "I think she's cute - well... *at least*  
she's Asian!"  
  
"BARELY!" The older woman shot back, anger in her  
voice. "She has BLUE eyes and BLOND hair!! Why, she's   
not Asian at all!!"  
  
"Come here child," the younger woman said as she   
scowled and crunched down on her feet in order to relative-  
ly match the child's height. The girl did as she was told   
and upon the range of the woman's hands, her face was   
cupped with clammy palms. "You shouldn't look so scared.  
I know this place might seem a little strange but... you   
will soon get used to it." Standing straight, the woman's   
expression grew serious. "So from now on, you are to refer   
to her," pointing to the older woman, "as Obaa-san, and me   
as Mama-san. Is that understood?"  
  
The girl bowed her head in acceptance.  
  
"Good. Mayumi!" She called as she clapped her   
hands twice, and a meek little service girl appeared soon   
at the sliding screen. "Take her to the next room while   
I speak with Obaa-san."  
  
Mayumi did as she was told, escorting the child   
out of the room and closing the screen behind her. She   
then went away to continue with her chores, leaving the   
small girl staring at the thin paper screens. She could   
hear the voice of the women begin to rise in the heat of   
an argument.  
  
"You should sell her to a brothel, then we might   
regain some of the money we lost!"  
  
"We buy her cheap, then you complain for what   
we got?"  
  
"Had I known she was what we'd be getting I   
wouldn't have paid."  
  
"Obaa-san, you and I both know that what we asked   
for was an exotic looking girl and that is exactly what   
we got. Now... her hair might not be as we had foreseen   
it but a wig can quickly fix up that mistake. As for her   
looks... yes, I do admit she's not what we planned but   
she is *slightly* interesting to the eye."  
  
"Maybe in your eyes Ritsuko, because I can't see   
her as anything but a failure in this profession. Why,   
we'd have a better chance making that distasteful little   
servant girl into a geisha!"  
  
"But the child has a captivating face! Just look   
into those eyes of hers."  
  
"I'll tell you what Ritsuko, I can see that for   
some reason you want to back that little hybrid up. I   
won't stand in the way of her training, but I will *warn   
you*... She'd better be successful or you can *forget*   
about inheriting this house after I die."  
  
"Hai, Obaa-san."  
  
"And one more thing... Make sure she doesn't get   
in my way."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Darien stared at Usagi's distressed face as she   
wrestled in her sleep against the bed sheets. He wondered  
silently what nightmare would dare disturb such an angel's  
sleep, as he lovingly gazed at her made up face. The   
thick layer of white make up made him speculate what   
shade of color her cheeks would have turned last night as   
he had looked into her rapture/tormented eyes.  
  
Thinking of last night made his heart ache with   
yearning as he remembered the way Usagi had acted - as if   
that had been her first time. Her shyness, her shock and   
amazement, the way she gasped every time he did something   
to her. The fear that had originally lied within the   
depths of her blue eyes had been erased as she had closed   
them tightly, only to be reopened later as glazed pools   
of underlying desire. Oh how he longed to see her eyes   
like that again.  
  
As if on cue, Usagi ceased her fighting and slowly   
opened her tiered eyes. They skimmed over the room trying   
to give her brain a clue of where she was -ears pounding   
due to a minor alcohol related headache - before her eyes   
clashed with deep-sea blue. And *then* she remembered   
EVERYTHING. Last night... The things he did... The   
things *she* did... But most embarrassingly, the things   
she had *felt*.  
  
Never, in all the years she'd been doing this, had   
she experienced such an emotional roller coaster. She   
could have sworn that her heart had pounded a hundred   
times faster than its usual beat, and she was frankly   
surprised to be alive today. The torment he had put her   
through was indescribable; yet the worst part was that if   
he asked her to do it again, she knew her body would say   
'yes'.  
  
She saw his eyes linger on hers before dipping to   
her lips, and finally going south to where her breasts lay   
exposed. Heat rushed through her body as her hand slowly   
snaked its way towards the discarded sheet and tried to   
pull it over her in order to cover her body from Darien's   
intimate exploration. However, as her hand was about to   
fulfill her intentions, Darien's own hand ceased hers and   
forced it to backtrack its steps.  
  
The way he had turned his now lust filled eyes   
towards her shocked face, made her recall the night before  
when his fixed gaze had made her feel -for the first time-  
completely aware of herself, not as a human being, but as   
a full blooded woman. He must have seen something flicker   
in her eyes, for she saw his wicked lips curve into that   
damned seductive smile he had given her last night, and   
her brain knew before it would occur that she would not be   
leaving that bed any time soon.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"Are you ready yet?" Darien asked as he knocked on   
the bathroom's door.  
  
"Almost. I'll be out in a couple of minutes."   
Usagi answered. She took a deep calming breath and looked   
at her reflection in the mirror. 'What the heck was wrong   
with her? Why had she reacted the way she had last night...   
*and* this morning!!' "DAMN IT!" She cursed as she pounded  
on the vanity. 'Why the hell couldn't she have controlled   
her damned body?! Why did she have to experience those   
feelings with him after all these years of doing this as   
her job? Why had it been *him* who made her realize that   
feelings like that could be felt without love?' Usagi   
shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. She was a   
geisha. This was part of her profession. He was only her  
temporary danna, and this was all business.  
  
Usagi straitened her wig, pulled in closer the   
neckline of the kimono and exited the bathroom. "I'm   
ready." She said as her eyes traveled the length of   
Darien's broad shoulders. A strange shiver cursed   
through her spine as she remembered how tightly she had   
been hanging on to them just hours ago.  
  
Darien whirled around to face her, his lips   
curving into a very contented smile. "Ok, I'll take you   
home now." Moving closer to her, he let his lips lightly   
kiss the exposed skin of her neck. Placing his hand on   
the small of her back, he let his fingers lightly curve   
on right side of her waist, as he maneuvered her towards   
the room's front door. "Even though I don't really want   
to."  
  
Usagi's back stiffened slightly as she realized   
what his seemingly natural actions meant in body language.   
Darien was, maybe subconsciously -she didn't know, trying   
to state his claim of her. The strange part was... she   
didn't really mind the gesture that much.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"Usagi?" Mama-san asked as soon as she heard the   
front door open.  
  
"Mama-san," she answered. "Tadaimasu."  
  
"Come here Usagi." Mama-san said, her voice cold   
and tense as she called the girl from the waiting from.  
  
"Hai." Usagi answered as she discarded her geta   
and walked into the corridor, following the calling voice.   
"You called?" She asked once she slid the shouji screen   
shut and sat on the tatami floor in front of her mother.  
  
Mama-san looked upon Usagi with anger and annoyance.   
"Do you know what time it is?"  
  
"eetou..." she pondered on her answer. "I don't   
know. I don't wear a watch, but I do know it's almost   
dinnertime. Why do you ask?"  
  
"You have missed your dance practice appointment   
today," Mama-san began, he voice slowly rising. "Not to   
mention, you ALSO seem to have overlooked the number of   
parties that you are supposed to attend tonight. Did you   
happen to forget the amount of time that has to be spent   
getting you ready?"  
  
"I have *not* forgotten about tonight's scheduled   
parties." Usagi answered in a clipped tone. "That is   
why I am here, am I not?!"  
  
"Don't you dare give me that tone of yours."   
Mama-san scolded, standing so that Usagi had to look up   
to see her. "I'm the one that's allowed to be angry."   
She gave Usagi a curious look. "What have you been doing   
all this time? Because I know for a fact that you   
couldn't have spent the whole day with your danna."  
  
Anger cursed through her veins. "What is that   
supposed to mean?!"  
  
"I mean, that there is no possible way that you   
could entertain a man for this long. Don't forget,"   
Mama-san raised her head imperiously, "I know how you   
behave with your danna. They've told me so themselves."  
  
That was the last straw for Usagi as she stood up.   
"Well it just so happens that I *HAVE* been with him this  
whole time!!" She screamed as she balled her hands into   
fists trying to release some of her anger. "Isn't that   
what you had asked me to do? You know, 'keep him happy'?"   
Her body slowly began to shake in frustrated rage. "WHAT   
THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME, HUH? I DO EVERYTHING YOU   
ASK OF ME," she screamed as tears slid down her cheeks.   
"CAN'T YOU JUST- "  
  
But Usagi never got to finish her sentence, because  
Mama-san's hand flew across her cheek and making her fall   
over from the sheer force of the blow. Standing straight   
above Usagi's fallen body, Mama-san's eyes froze. "You   
ungrateful child," she whispered. "I have taken care of   
you, stood against Obaa-san, and molded you into the woman  
that you are today... and *this* is how you repay my   
kindness? By skipping practice and running around Gion   
with *god-knows-WHO*?!" She screamed. "Forget about   
tonight's parties, that's commission I'll give to someone   
else." And having had the last words, Mama-san left Usagi  
on the tatami in the waiting room.  
  
"DAMN HER!" Usagi cursed as more tears fell from   
her eyes. Why- Why did she refuse to believe that she had   
been with her danna all day? Why did she have to accuse   
her of being an incompetent geisha?  
  
'Oh come on Usagi,' a voice within Usagi's head   
countered. 'Would you have believed yourself if you had   
been in her position?'  
  
'I would have. I was saying the truth!'  
  
'Be honest.' The voice laughed at her. 'Or is it  
that you refuse to truly see what those men called you   
behind their backs?'  
  
Usagi's eyes grew wide. 'What are you talking   
about?'  
  
'Oh please! You mean to tell me that you never   
heard them call you "cold," or "frigid," or "unfeeling"?   
You couldn't have been that deaf.'  
  
'What are you talking about? Sure, I heard them.   
I wanted them to know I didn't like being with them, but   
they always kept coming back to me. They never took a   
hint!' Usagi tried to argue in her defense.  
  
'Well,' the voice began again with silky smoothness,   
'that's not the impression you left on Darien today now   
was it?'   
  
Usagi froze on her comment. The voice was right.   
What had happened with Darien today -NO, not with *Darien*,  
with *Shields-san*? She shouldn't be addressing him on   
such a personal level.  
  
The voice's laughter sounded like cackling within   
Usagi's head. 'You say that to yourself *NOW*? After   
you've screamed his first name in the throws of passion   
both last night and this morning?' The laugher became   
uncontrollable as it mocked Usagi's emotional turmoil.   
'You sure have a strange way of letting men know you're   
not interested.'  
  
'SHUT UP! I'M NOT INTERESTED IN HIM!' Usagi   
screamed. 'I HATE HIM. I HATE ALL OF THEM. I HATE   
EVERYONE. EVERYBODY LEAVES ME.' Usagi curled herself   
into a little ball as she sobbed in pain, her tears   
falling smoothly on the tatami mat. "Nobody wants me,"   
she whispered softly.  
  
...And that was how Mayumi found her the next   
morning. Asleep, curled up like a cat, her make-up   
smeared and running sideways on her face.  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
+~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~++~+  
  
I'M VERY SORRY THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER  
OUT SOONER. I DON'T KNOW WHEN CHAPTER 8 WILL BE OUT, THE  
ONLY THING I CAN TRULLY SAY, WITHOUT A DOUBT IS THAT YOU  
HAVE NO REASON TO FEAR ME SCRAPPING THE FIC. I MIGHT  
TAKE MY TIME BUT YOU WILL READ ITS ENDING. COMMENTS,  
COMPLAINTS AND OTHER TYPE OF MAIL WILL BE HAPPILY ACCEPTED  
AT MACHI_NO_TENSHI@EXCITE.COM  
  
MINNA-SAN, JYA MATTA!!'  
  
*/6,~\ HIKA-CHAN */6,~\  
  
  



	10. Chapter 8

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask  
Author: Hikari  
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: PG  
Part: Chapter 8  
  
  
HIKARI'S NOTES FOR (3/06/01)-  
*HEHEHE* PEOPLE, YOU OWE THIS CHAPTER TO ONE GIRL. FOR SHE,  
THE TWISTED CHILD SHE IS, HAD TALKED ME INTO WRITING THIS   
CHAPTER FOR HER BIRTHDAY. OTHERWISE YOU WOULD HAVE GOTTEN  
IT NEXT WEEK (DURING MY SPRING BREAK). SO, HERE YOU GO MEHG.  
FOR YOU, MY IMOUTO... I WISH YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. */^-^\*  
  
  
Chapter 8:  
  
"Usagi-chan," Rei inquired brightly as she spun   
around on her geta and faced her friend. "You know, you   
still haven't answered my question." Raising her head and   
giving Usagi a knowing smile she asked again, "How are   
things with your American danna?"  
  
Usagi looked at Rei for a moment, then, in a   
detached tone said, "He left."  
  
Rei stared at Usagi as she walked ahead. 'Is   
she serious?' she thought. The last Rei had heard about   
Usagi's danna was that he had taken her to a karaoke bar   
and they both looked like they were having fun. How could   
he have left her already when he had only been her danna   
for a week?! 'Impossible,' came Rei's conclusion. 'Not   
even Usagi could be that shrewd.'  
  
"Um," she worked her throat while thinking for the   
proper words to ask. "Why did he leave?"  
  
Usagi stopped walking and looked back at her friend,   
her clear eyes not missing the confusion and uncertainty   
that emanated from Rei. She smiled softly. Rei was   
worried. Rei was worried for her. And yet, as the warm   
feeling of friendship coursed through her, a single nagging  
thought ignited a spark of anger. 'Is she thinking that   
my danna left me because I... because I- ?'  
  
She gave Rei a cold stare. "He had to go back to   
Tokyo. He *does* work you know."  
  
"I'm sorry if it seemed like I was prying," Rei   
said upon hearing the curt tone Usagi had used to answer   
her. "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just- I had   
just- well I- "  
  
"It's alright Rei." She gave her a weak smile.   
"I've just had a rough week."  
  
Rei walked up behind Usagi and gave her a hug.   
"Wanna talk about it? We can go to my apartment. My   
danna is away on a business trip."  
  
"Alright, I'd like that. Arigatou."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Rei opened the door. "We're here!" she called out   
happily.  
  
Usagi laughed. "Aren't we cheerful?"  
  
She pouted. "So?"  
  
"Nothing. I just think it's kawaii." Usagi   
discarded her geta, walked into the living room and sat   
down. "How come you're so happy?"  
  
Rei blushed, a small giggle escaping her lips as   
she sat in front of her friend. "I like being here."  
  
Giving her a sly smile Usagi deduced, "It reminds   
you of him doesn't it?"  
  
Rei's eyes widened before slowly closing shut.   
"Hai," she whispered.  
  
Usagi scolded herself mentally for speaking aloud.   
She knew Rei's danna was a delicate topic for her. His   
name was Yukifumi, his last name was Matsura... the latter   
he shared with his wife. Rei and him had been together   
for three years, and no matter how hard she had tried to   
prevent it, anyone could have seen her falling for him as   
an inevitable result.  
  
She felt retched now. She had made her friend   
uncomfortable. "Gomen," she said softly.  
  
Rei shook her head. "Don't, you didn't say   
anything that wasn't true. Anyway," she went on, "we're   
here to talk about you. You promised to tell me, remember?"  
  
Usagi sighed. "I did, didn't I?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Alright." She took a deep breath. "I guess...   
what do you want to know?"  
  
"Um..." she pondered. "Well, I would like to know   
what happened between you and your danna." Rei twisted her  
hands nervously, afraid that she might be touching on one   
of Usagi's nerves with her question. "Is he- is he still   
your danna?"  
  
"Yes, he's still my danna." Usagi said as she   
sighed once more. "He and Obaa-san talked out an   
arrangement in which I go and visit him in Tokyo."  
  
Rei's eyes twinkled with child-like enthusiasm as   
she almost pounded closer to Usagi and brightly said, "So   
you guys are still together?!"  
  
Usagi was taken aback by Rei's response. "What do   
you mean by that?"  
  
"Nothing," she said with a coy smile. "I just   
think that you two make a cute couple."  
  
"Rei..." Usagi said forlornly. "We don't live the   
life of normal people. A relationship other than a danna   
and his geisha does not come into the picture for us."   
Upon seeing Rei's hurt features, Usagi went on. "Besides,"  
she laughed uneasily, "he's just my danna. Nothing more,   
certainly nothing more."  
  
Rei scrutinized her friend from where she sat.   
There was something about Usagi's features that seemed to   
become bemused upon hearing questions or comments on her   
danna. Yesterday, for example, when they had attended   
together a Noh play with a couple of other geisha, Usagi   
became very uncomfortable when Aine said that she had seen   
her walking around Gion with a handsome man. Aine even   
called him a bishounen and congratulated Usagi for her   
luck on getting a danna who was sexually appealing.   
Usagi's face had gone so white, she had to excuse herself   
from her seat.  
  
"What are you doing?" Usagi asked, disrupting Rei's  
thoughts.  
  
"Oh, nothing." She shook her head. "So when are   
you seeing him next?"  
  
She lowered her head. "A week from now." 'Yes,'   
she went on in her head. 'I will inevitably see him a week  
from now.'  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
'Damn it, I'm late.' Darien thought when he looked   
at his watch as he drove down to the Tokyo Train Station.   
He hated rush-hour traffic jams, *especially* when they   
kept him from getting to one of the best investments that   
he'd done in his life.  
  
He scolded himself mentally for that. He shouldn't  
be thinking of her as an object! She was *much more* than   
that. She was feminine, and fun, and tempting, and   
mysterious, and sensual, and soft, and... and she had this   
child-like innocence that just seemed to cry out to him   
for protection every time he looked into her cerulean eyes.  
  
Darien swerved on the road sharply, away from an   
incoming car, as he came back to himself. He blew under   
his breath, "Kuso!" as he ran his fingers through his hair.  
He'd better stop thinking about Usagi while driving, or he   
was never gonna get there in one piece!  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
'Where is she? Where is she?' That's all he could   
think off as he looked around for that oval shaped face   
with those pretty blue eyes and that sensual mouth which   
drove him insane. He just had to find her. However...   
there were so many unnecessary people there! Why couldn't   
they just all melt away so that he could find her?  
  
He looked at his watch for the hundredth time. He   
was right on time, her train had arrived just five minutes   
ago, she *should* be here. He anxiously searched around...  
then... he spotted her. And everything *did* melt away.   
He looked at her from where he stood. She was wearing a   
light green kimono that had a folding fan design in the   
colors of purple, orange and gold. Her black wig covered   
the silky flaxen strands of hair he so longed to run his   
fingers through; her pale made-up face was held high,   
telling everyone of her social status. Her blue eyes...   
Did he just see her blue eyes widen as they met with his?   
Did he really *see* the unguarded emotion, which flashed   
on them for a brief second?  
  
What happened next, he knew not. All he could feel,  
all he was sure of was that one moment he was taking her   
in from afar; the next, he was crushing her delicate body   
against his in reckless hunger. His hands -as they held   
her in desperation- began to move from her waist, up her   
back, to gently hold her neck.  
  
He looked into her shocked face and grinned. "I've  
missed you," he whispered unevenly as he lowered his mouth   
to hers and showed her -through his kiss- just how much he   
had.  
  
It began roughly, all his anxiety and pent up   
infatuation coming across clearly. He was a wolf, ready   
to hunt down and feast on his meal. A meal he *had*   
caught, *had* tasted from before, and certainly wanted to   
taste again. Usagi? She had no choice, no solution, no   
way out except to succumb to that calling need in him or   
be consumed by it.   
  
She fought against herself. She didn't like him,   
she didn't want him to hold her, she didn't want to be here   
in Tokyo, she didn't *want* to feel this way! However,   
even as she tried to stay still, not to respond, her hands  
came up and dove themselves into his hair. She felt like   
crying. Did she have no self-control? What had happened   
to that promise she had made to herself? It had apparently  
flown out the window the moment Darien had held her close   
at the station.  
  
'THE STATION!' her mind screamed at her. He was   
kissing her like this at a public station! Usagi slowly   
tried to disentangle herself from his arms. 'Did he have   
no shame? People only did stuff like this when they where   
alone.'  
  
Darien gave her a strange look. "What's wrong?"   
he asked.  
  
She said nothing for a couple of minutes. Then,   
she just looked at Darien with a pout and said, "Have you   
no shame?"  
  
He was taken aback by her answer. "What do you   
mean?"  
  
"People don't do things like this in Tokyo. At   
least not in public places." She lowered her face to the   
ground, and in his eyes, she resembled an embarrassed   
child. "I have a reputation to uphold."  
  
He gently raised her face to meet his eyes.   
"Gomen," he said softly as he rubbed his thumb slowly   
across her bottom lip. "I just... I forgot everything   
when I saw you here. I really did miss you."  
  
Usagi felt the heat of a blush on her cheeks and   
thanked god she was wearing her impregnable make-up mask.   
With it, she would always be somebody. Without it, she   
would return to being nothing.  
  
"Come on," he said as he slid his arm possessively   
across her silk garment and gave her a little push forward.  
"Let's go home."  
  
'Home,' he had said. The word resonated in her   
head. 'Going home.' She bit back the impulse to laugh   
sarcastically at his choice of words. 'Home...' that was   
where your family was, a family of love and caring. She   
had never really had one of those, and she never would.  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  



	11. Chapter 9

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask  
Author: Hikari  
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: PG  
Genre: Alt.Reality  
Part: Chapter 9  
  
  
(3/18/01)- YAY PEOPLE!! I FINISHED CHAPTER 9!!! I HAD   
BEEN WORKING ON IT ALL OF THIS WEEK (*HEHE* IT WAS MY   
SPRING-BREAK) ANYWAYS, I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT. TRANSITON   
CHAPTERS ARE A SLOW PROCESS TO WRITE. GOMEN IF IT DOESN'T   
SEEM AS LONG AS IT TOOK ME TO GET IT OUT.  
  
  
  
Chapter 9:  
  
Usagi took of her geta slowly and stepped into her   
danna's apartment. This was the first time one of her   
danna's had actually taken her to their home -not to an   
apartment they would rent for her. She looked around the   
room carefully. It didn't look like the home of a middle-  
class workingman. 'Then again... a middle-class workingman  
wouldn't be able to afford a geisha as his mistress.'   
Still, something about this place didn't quite fit in with   
who he said he was.  
  
'But one thing's for sure,' she thought to herself   
as she silently followed Darien -who was busy showing her   
around the apartment. 'He certainly lives like an American.'  
  
The apartment looked so different from her home.   
No tatami mats, no low wooden tables, he didn't even sleep   
on a futon! Why, his apartment resembled more a five star   
hotel room than a Japanese living space.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Darien asked in   
amusement when he saw the pensive crease on her forehead   
deepen.  
  
She shook her face from side to side, like a child   
caught slacking from their chores, and answered quickly,   
"Nothing."  
  
Darien raised his eyebrow suspiciously. "Why is it   
that I find that hard to believe?"  
  
Feeling very uneasy in this new territory, Usagi   
lowered her head timidly. "I wasn't thinking anything."  
  
At that moment, time froze for Darien and he just   
looked at her -*really looked at her.* This girl that was   
in front of him seemed so different from the woman he had   
first encountered. The first time Darien had seen Usagi,   
she had been a temptress, fully aware of who she was and   
what she could do. Then after that, without her knowledge,  
she had shown him -through brief glimpses- the hostility   
she held in check behind her ever-changing eyes.  
  
She was tempting, strong, naïve, and so innocent.   
'How could a woman such as her, living the life she does,   
still hold such purity?' He had no answer. Usagi was a   
puzzle to him. A wonderful little puzzle that just begged   
to be solved.  
  
He smiled at her fragile form and brought her into   
his arms. Her eyes widened momentarily as her face gently   
settled itself automatically in the crook of his neck. It   
was a strange embrace, one free of lust and desire. His   
arms were so warm, and from her position she could hear his  
heart.  
  
'Ichi... ni... san... yon... go... roku...' she   
counted it's steady beat, so soft and comforting, like a   
melody. No, like a lullaby. She slowly blinked her eyes   
once, then twice, trying to fight against the soothing   
feeling that was coursing through her body. But alas, as   
hard as she tried, by the tenth time she closed her eyes   
to blink... they remained closed as she fell sound asleep.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"Usa-chan, are you paying attention to me?"  
  
A blond little girl turned her head around to face   
the speaker. "Hai, Yuuko-nee-chan. I'm listening." The   
child then got into a frog-like position and hopped her way  
towards the woman. "What is it you want to show me?"  
  
Yuuko smiled at her and said, "Usagi, you are a   
maiko now." Helping the kid stand, Yuuko's face grew   
serious. "You must hold this title with dignity. That   
means no hopping around. Don't you want to grow up to be   
a geisha just like me?"  
  
Usagi's blue eyes grew wide as her small mouth   
yelled with certainty, "Of course I do!" She then looked   
at her feet as she nervously wiggled her toes. "I'm sorry,"   
she sniffed. "I know I'm not the best maiko to have as a   
little sister. Obaa-san doesn't like me very much."   
Raising her tear-streaked face she said, "But I do try! I   
try really hard to impress her. But- but everything I do   
is never good enough for her."  
  
Something inside Yuuko wrenched. Sure, it was true  
that the only reason she had accepted to be Usagi's older   
sister was because Mama-san had asked her to as a 'special'  
favor, but... she didn't mind it now. Usagi was a good   
maiko. She studied really hard, practiced day and night   
the songs and dances that they taught her at school. She   
was always happy and willing to do the duties she was asked.  
  
"Come here," Yuuko whispered softly as she waved   
Usagi closer. "It alright now." She hugged the child   
close to her, trying to sooth what little pain she could.   
She ran her fingers through Usagi's hair. "You are growing  
up so fast, but you have a long way to go until you can   
become a geisha."  
  
Pulling Usagi back so that she could look at her   
face, Yuuko wiped her tears away. "A 10yr old girl   
shouldn't be crying about who likes you or not. You will   
meet many people in our line of work, some friends, some   
clients, some will even be your danna. However, you are   
never to forget who you are." Yuuko stood and looked down   
at Usagi's upturned face. "This make-up, these clothes,   
and this hairstyle are more than just a symbol for your   
profession. They are you. Without them..."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
It was morning and there was a loud beeping noise   
irritating her ears. It was beginning to drive her nuts!   
She stirred and slowly began to unglue her eyes. Blue-   
blurry blue/gray, that's all she could see. 'Wait,'   
something in her head yelled. 'I think I see something.'  
  
She tried to focus her eyes on the white ambiguous   
*thing* that cut across the blue she had established. She   
moved her hand in order to grab it, but the white thing   
moved way. She blinked repeatedly trying to see where the   
thing went. Alas, it had disappeared.  
  
"You're finally awake!" Someone called out. She   
turned her head towards the voice and tried to make the   
shape out. However, for the life of her, she could have   
sworn to go blind.  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
He laughed. "I see I'm that easy to forget, huh?"  
  
Her eyes widened slightly as her jaw dropped.   
"Shield-san."  
  
He neared the bed and looked at her face. "Are   
you alright or- " he stopped for a moment. "Have you been   
crying?"  
  
"Why do ask?" She said while moving her face away   
from him.  
  
"Because your eyes are puffy and your make-up's   
all smeared." At that moment, Usagi felt the bed lift,   
and then the water in the bathroom run. "Here," she heard   
him say as he neared the bed once more. "Let me clean   
you up."  
  
She felt a towel scrub her eyes free of make-up,   
giving back to her the gift of sight. She blinked. She   
could see again. Then, the towel Darien held in his hand   
then began to work on her cheeks.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked as her hand   
desperately grabbed the towel from him.  
  
"What does it look like?" He answered back,   
snatching up the towel and trying to continue his task.   
"I'm helping you get rid of your make up."  
  
"I don't want you to."  
  
"Come on," he insisted. "It's all blotchy now   
anyways. Let me see your face."  
  
For some reason, something inside Usagi snapped.   
She pushed Darien off the bed and quickly stood at his   
feet, her eyes filled with rage. "Never, EVER, try to   
take my make up off!" She screamed at him. "Never again.   
DO YOU HEAR ME?!"  
  
Darien stared at Usagi in disbelief. "Ok..." he   
raised his hands in peace. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to   
see what you really looked like."  
  
"This *is* me," she spat back bitterly. "I *am* a   
geisha. There is nothing without the make-up."  
  
"That's not true." He said as he neared her   
antagonistic stance. "You're smart... funny... friendly.   
You have a bright personality. You're a very spec- "  
  
"SHUT UP!" she cried not caring if he saw her like   
this... so vulnerable. "DON'T LIE TO ME! If that was   
true my mother wouldn't have sold me!"   
  
Usagi quickly clasped her hands over her mouth.   
'What the hell had she just said?' She looked into his   
eyes and saw the shock in them. 'What the hell had she   
just SAID?!' How in the world had their little discussion   
ended up with the mention of her mother?  
  
"Usako?" She heard him say.  
  
She turned from him and wrapped her arms around   
herself. 'Please stay away. Please stay away. Please   
stay away. Please stay away. Please stay away.' She   
chanted over and over again in her mind.  
  
It was useless. Even as she pleaded with her   
thoughts, Darien had been holding her to him the whole   
time. "It's alright." He stroked her hair in a soothing   
manner. "Cry all you want to. I'll still be here."  
  
Those words broke her. She couldn't hold it in   
any longer. She had lost. She, the ice queen, was crying   
in front of her danna.  
  
Darien said nothing. There was nothing he *could*   
say. He had seen women cry before. His ex-fiancée, for   
example, when he told her that their engagement was off.   
She had dropped on her knees, crying, and asked him to   
forgive her for cheating on him. 'But,' he shook his head.  
'Melanie hadn't cried like this.' He had never seen a   
woman cry like Usagi was doing now -with such desperation,   
such anger, such raw emotion.  
  
Darien held her quivering body within his strong   
embrace. Then, he shifted her body and carried her over   
to the living room, sitting then both on his cream leather   
sofa. Usagi clung to him fiercely. She could feel his   
warmth trying to sooth her pain away. Soon, her tears   
stopped; however, she knew, that from this day forward,   
the contract that she and her danna shared would never be   
the same.  
  
  
  
  
To be continued... 


	12. Chapter 10

GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask  
Author: Hikari  
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: PG  
Genre: Alt.Reality  
Part: Chapter 10  
  
  
  
Chapter 10:  
  
Usagi sat with her knees pressed to her chest on   
the loveseat as she stared out the window -waiting for her   
danna to get home from work. Snow was falling softly over   
the city of Tokyo making the neon building signs shine like   
fireflies in the mist. It was a pretty illusion, one you   
could only witness in the winter. Was this the reason why   
people liked this season so much?  
  
She turned her head away from the scene and   
concentrated instead on the un-touched cup of hot chocolate   
on the coffee table. It had been sitting there since lunch-  
time. She extended her small, pale hand towards the cup   
and slowly brought it to her lips. The liquid was cold and   
tasted bittersweet. Her lips curved into a cynical smile.   
She drank again.  
  
Finishing the cup, she placed it back on the table   
and turned once again to the window. Yes, now she   
remembered. Her real mother had sold her. Obaa-san had   
shunned her. Her previous danna had left her. Mama-san   
didn't trust her. These were the reason why she hated this   
season. To her, winter only brought bad luck.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Max Parker caught a glimpse of light within Darien's  
office. He looked at his watch. It was 8:00pm and workdays  
usually ended at 6:00pm. Was Darien working over-time   
tonight? Or... did it have something to do with the meeting  
he had with Mr. Kigai a couple of days ago?  
  
He gently tapped on the door, turned the knob and   
snuck his head in. The computer was on -its light shining   
on the spread of papers on the desk. Darien's chair had   
it's back to the entrance. "Yo, Darien?" Max called out.   
"You in here?"  
  
Darien spun around in his chair. "Hey Max." He   
gave a weak smile. "What are you doing here this late?"  
  
"Overtime. You?"  
  
"Me?" He looked at the papers on his desk. "I   
suppose I'm working over time too."  
  
Max neared Darien's desk. Giving the papers a quick  
look-over, he was taken aback. "You're working on the   
Shimazaki project now? Isn't that due next fall?"  
  
"Yeah. So?"  
  
"Well, doesn't that mean that we have about a year   
to do that? The project isn't that big. It would probably   
only take us two to three months to have it ready."  
  
"Well..." Darien snapped back angrily. "I want to   
get it over with *now*!"  
  
Max raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What's wrong?   
Did you have a fight with Usagi?"  
  
"No." He said irritably. "I did not have a fight   
with her."  
  
"Then... does this have something to do with the   
meeting you had with the boss?"  
  
Darien remained silent.  
  
"It does, doesn't it?" He slammed his hands on   
Darien's desk. "What did he say? Is something wrong?"  
  
"He didn't say anything I didn't know would soon   
be coming."  
  
"Huh?" He made a face. "What's that supposed to   
mean?"  
  
"It means," said Darien while getting up and   
stuffing his papers inside his brief case. "That I should   
get home pretty soon. I don't have much time left."  
  
Then, walking past a very confused Max, Darien   
exited his office and walked away.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Usagi's head turned at the sound of the door   
opening. Seconds later she heard Darien's "Tadaimasu."  
  
Getting up from the loveseat, she walked on bare  
feet towards the entrance. She took a quick glance at a   
nearby mirror. Her thick blond hair was free from its   
confines swirling around her pale made-up face, and she was   
wearing a simple red yukatta instead of her traditional   
kimono. How long had she been with Darien that she dared   
to parade around his apartment without her formal wear?   
'Not that long,' she realized grimly.  
  
She had met him a year ago, during the fall. Then,  
in the summer, he had become her danna. And now... now she   
felt so Americanized it sometimes made her sick to think   
that she wasn't behaving as she had been trained to.  
  
Darien looked drained, that was the first impression  
she had gotten when she saw him. "Okaeri," she said gently   
as she helped him take off his blazer. He thanked her and   
walked solemnly towards the couch and plopped down. "You   
look tiered," she announced as she neared the back of the   
couch and placed her hands gently on his shoulders. She   
began to knead the tough muscles through his shirt. "You've  
been working a lot lately."  
  
He placed his hand on top of hers, stopping her   
actions. Turning to face her, he smiled with longing.   
Silently taking her hand in his, he guided her body to the   
front of the couch and pulled her close to him on the   
cushions. Darien smiled as he wrapped his arms around her   
slender waist and nestled his head on her chest. 'I wish I   
could stop time," he thought. 'I wish this moment could   
last forever.'  
  
Usagi's heart churned, something was wrong. She   
could feel it. She closed her arms around his form and   
hugged him back. "Are you hungry?" she asked softly as she   
began to stroke his head.  
  
"No... Not really."  
  
"Then, do you want to go to bed?"  
  
Darien shook his head 'yes' like a small child.   
Looking down into his eyes, Usagi could see some inner-  
turmoil within. He disentangled himself from her embrace   
and taking her hand, lead them both to the bedroom.  
  
Walking over to the corner of the room, Darien took   
of his shirt and pants, placing them neatly on a chair that   
was there. He then walked over towards the bed and got in.   
Usagi was waiting for him.  
  
She let her hand trail down his cheek in a caring   
manner. "Daijoubu?" He didn't answer. Instead, he just   
roughly intertwined his arms around her and crushed her   
body to his. Usagi could feel his body shaking. It scared   
her. Deep in her mind she could sense a foreshadowing of   
desolation. It was a feeling she was well acquainted with,   
one she didn't like at all.  
  
That night... Usagi could not manage to fall asleep.  
And somehow, she knew that Darien hadn't either.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
She finished placing her kimono on and went on to   
tie up her obi. Checking to make sure that her make-up was   
in order, she left the bathroom and walked towards the   
living room where Darien was waiting. He had told her he   
had something very important to tell her.  
  
She took in a deep calming breath when her eyes fell  
on the broad expanse of his shoulders. Clearing her throat  
she said, "You wanted to tell me something?"  
  
He stood up and turned around. "Yeah... I did."   
He gestured for her to sit across from him so that they   
could face each other. He saw the confusion written on her   
face and rubbed an impatient hand on the back of his neck.   
"I suppose I'll start from the beginning, ne?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Well," he went on. "You see, a couple of days ago   
Kigai-sama informed me that the American branch of the   
Yamada Company had requested my prompt return to the U.S."  
  
Usagi remained silent.  
  
Breathing out a heavy sigh, Darien said with   
finality, "I leave in two weeks time." Darien looked at   
Usagi. She had been silent for a long time. All she did   
that he could take as a reaction was wrap her arms tighter   
around her body. He lowered his head sadly. 'So this was   
the end,' he thought. This is how they relationship was   
drawn to a close.  
  
Unknown to Usagi, her thought had found a voice.   
"Don't go," she whispered with an uncharacteristic show of   
need. 'Don't leave me!' She screamed in her head. "Not   
now Darien... not now that I- that I..."  
  
He was staring at her face. Of all the things he   
had expected her to say... this was the last thing. He   
crouched down in front of her and took her hands in his.   
"Now that you what?"  
  
She looked at him. "I- " She said began but turned   
her head away. "Never mind."  
  
He let go of her hands and stood up. "To tell you   
the truth," he said as he gave her a cheerless smile. "I   
wish you could come with me."  
  
Usagi's eyes widened as her head wiped back in order  
to make sure he wasn't kidding. "Really?"  
  
"Uhu."  
  
Usagi began to battle with herself. Could she quit   
being a geisha? That was all she'd ever been. She could   
never be anything else. She didn't know how to *be*   
anything else!  
  
Could she go with him? Was she willing to follow   
him wherever he went? But, did he love her? Did she love   
him? She did, she realized so the moment she thought she   
would lose him -the only man that had treated her as a human  
being.  
  
'But,' she thought in alarm. Maybe to him she was   
only an obsession, like he had told her the first time they   
had been together. Should she trust him? Should she tell   
him that there *was* a way that they could be together?  
  
Darien's voice broke through her thoughts. "Are   
you alright?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," she said as her eyes filled with tears.   
"I'm fine."  
  
"Please don't cry." Darien said as his hand cupped   
her cheek tenderly and began to wipe away her tears. "I   
can't stand to see you cry."  
  
"STOP IT!" she cried as she pushed his body away   
from her. "Don't you see?! You're only making it worse   
for me!"  
  
He tried to steady himself. "What are you talking   
about?"  
  
She looked at him through tear-filled eyes in   
misery. "Why couldn't you have been like my other danna,   
HUH?! That way... maybe that way... I could have prevented  
falling in love with you."  
  
Darien's body froze upon hearing her confession.   
All he could do was look as Usagi ran away, grabbing her   
geta as she left. Out of his apartment she ran, and out of   
his life too he guessed.  
  
So this really *was* the end of their relationship.  
She would go back to Gion, to her home, to her parties, to   
the mysterious world from which she came from. And he? He   
would go back to the States. Alone.  
  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*~V~*  
Author's Notes for (3/31/01):  
Well minna... This is the last "to be continued" for   
Geisha. As you can tell, the next chapter is gonna be the  
last. I'm gonna be starting up a new fic so be on the look  
out for it, k?  
Some extra stuff...  
To MARZ: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!  
To Mehg (my imotou): I'm gonna make you suffer for that  
jingle you sent me a while ago.  
To Laz-chan: Thanks for all your motivation on this story.  
To Brandy: You can call me a b*tch all you like for my   
cliff-hangers but I know the truth... You like   
being left on the edge. *winks* I'll start   
the other story soon.  
A special mention to Sailorcelestial who always makes me  
laugh with her *coughs-demanding-coughs* emails about me   
writing these chapters faster and becoming a writer. You're  
a real ego-booster!  
And of course, many- many thanks to all of you who have   
emailed me about my story. I'm glad to know you enjoy my   
stories as much as I enjoy writing them.  
  
JYA MATTA!!!  
ATT: Hikari-chan  
AKA: Machi NO Tenshi  
  
  



	13. Chapter 11

  
GEISHA... Life Behind the Mask  
Author: Hikari  
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: PG  
Genre: Alt.Reality  
Part: Chapter 11  
  
  
  
Chapter 11:  
  
Usagi made a quick *cue-exit* out of Rei's apart-  
ment. When someone was kissing his danna the way Rei was   
doing hers... you either left, or became prepared to see   
more that you wanted to. She shook her head slowly as her   
eyes glanced at the closed door over her shoulder, a forlorn  
smile spreading on her lips.   
  
Taking in the orange rays of the setting sun, she   
walked through the lonely snow-filled streets of Gion.   
She had no reason, no right to be jealous. 'Rei should be   
happy.' She thought. Her friend deserved it! After all,   
Rei hadn't had the best life growing up either.  
  
Unlike her, Rei had been born as an accident. Her   
mother, a famous geisha, had had a brief liaison with a man   
in order to pay for a debt that the grandmother of her house  
had. Out of that one night of business came Rei.  
  
However, the man her mother had slept with, refused   
to acknowledge Rei as his child. That didn't matter too   
much; yet, the only path left open for Rei was to follow in   
her mother's footsteps. So, since before her birth, her   
future had been established. She would be thrust into this   
world since birth, never knowing or having the possibility   
to become anything other than a geisha.  
  
But none of this mattered. She didn't even know why  
she was remembering these things about her friend now. Other  
girls had been sold or born into this profession, and *they*  
had found some type of pleasure in the honorary title that a  
geisha held.  
  
Usagi balled her fits and shook her head, her body   
pumping with energy. No matter what, she was happy for her   
friend. Now, if only she could feel as happy... everything   
would be just fine.  
  
And why *shouldn't* she be happy?! It was *her*   
loss not Usagi's. After all, *she* was the one who decided   
to evade her responsibilities. Selling her off instead of   
taking care of her like any normal mother would. Usagi owed  
it to herself to be happy. 'I mean,' she thought. 'What   
type of life would I have had with a woman that can't commit  
to her duties?' She was better off... DEFINITELY!   
  
Clear tears escaped from her eyes. 'Then why was   
she crying??' Usagi rubbed an angry hand over her eyes in a   
childish manner. "BAKA," she called herself. She shouldn't   
cry now, not after a month of repressed tears. If she began  
to cry now... she knew she wouldn't be able to stop.  
  
A month... It had been a month since she departed   
Darien's apartment. Leaving behind her what might have   
been... 'NO,' she countered. Her and Darien could never   
have been anything more than danna and geisha. She realized   
that now. They came from two completely different worlds,   
two completely different cultures.   
  
"It was doomed from the start." She told herself   
she felt more at peace now that she had had her epiphany.   
Yet, if her feelings really obeyed her thoughts, she never   
would have gotten into this mess.  
  
Usagi froze on the spot momentarily as an image   
flashed through her mind. "No," she whispered. She   
couldn't be comparing herself to *that* woman! Why should   
she? She wasn't anything like her. She hadn't evaded her   
obligations. She had done everything that they had asked   
of her! She *DIDN'T* run away!  
  
"It was *he,*" she said. "It was Darien who ran   
away." Not her! Not her! "He ran away. He left me...   
like *she* did." Usagi clenched her hands with the force   
of her suppressed anger. 'I should never have trusted him,'  
she thought. 'I never should have let him get so close to   
me.' Because it was when people got too close to her that   
they always let her down. 'It's better not to trust; better   
not to feel... better, to be alone.'  
  
Without noticing, Usagi had crouched down on the   
white sidewalk, unaware of the way the snow was slowly   
dampening her kimono. Too many people, too many memories   
were flooding her thoughts at one time. "YAMETE!" She   
screamed. "Mo, YAMETE!"   
  
She sniffled a bit as she clutched her head in her   
shaky hands. "Atashi... atashi..." she began to sob. 'I   
just want to be happy. I want to be alone...' "Stay here   
forever..." she said as she lay on the cold blanket of snow   
and slowly drifted to unconsciousness.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
A young geisha with hazelnut colored eyes was on her  
way home from the market. With a secretive smile on her   
lips, she glanced at the fruits she had bought. Her onee-  
sama would be very happy.  
  
She clutched the packet closer to her as she neared   
a crowd of people gathered on the sidewalk. "I wonder what   
happened..." she said as she quickened her pace as fast as   
her geta would allow. "Sumimasen," she said as she neared   
one of the spectators. "Demo... why are all these people   
here?"  
  
"There's- " the man began as he turned to face her.   
He gawked at her for a moment before continuing on. "There's  
a geisha lying on the sidewalk. I think she's dead."  
  
"Dead," she repeated. Quickly, she began to push   
her way through the crowd in order to see the face of the   
deceased. 'Oh god!' she thought as her package fell with a   
*thud* on the snow, a couple of apples escaping from the bag.  
  
"Usagi-nee-chan?" she cried as she rushed to the   
body. "It's me, Akiko." She began to say desperately as   
she as she shook Usagi's body. "NEE-CHAN!!" she screamed   
as the hysteria was beginning to take hold of her. "NEE-  
CHAN, OPEN YOUR EYES!!"  
  
Akiko fell on the Usagi's body as she cried.   
"Please," she whispered. "Please come back to me." She   
nestled her head closer to Usagi's chest. "Please... don't   
leave me."  
  
All fell silent around her. Her world had   
collapsed. Usagi had been her older sister since she came   
into Ritsuko's okiya. She had been the one that had made   
her feel at home. If it hadn't been for Usagi's help and   
compassionate manner towards her, Akiko would have probably   
tried to run away.  
  
And now- Now that she had finally established   
herself as a successful geisha, the fact that her older   
sister would not be able to see all the fame that she   
planned to acquire tore her dreams apart. It made Akiko   
feel so confused she could even hear her own slow heartbeat.  
  
'Heartbeat?'  
  
Akiko blinked her eyes and wiped her tears away.   
Pressing her face to Usagi's chest, she stilled her   
breathing hoping to hear something. A faint thumping sound   
resonated from within Usagi's being. 'SHE WAS ALIVE!'   
Akiko rejoiced as she hugged the frail, nearly frozen body   
to her. "Nee-chan?" she asked again. "Can you hear me?"  
  
"Nan-?" she murmured weakly as her eyes fluttered   
open. "Akiko?"  
  
Her imotou's eyes began to overflow with tears of   
joy. "Nee-chan, you're alright!" She happily cried as she   
hugged Usagi's body even closer. "You're alright!"  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Leaving the crowd of people behind, Akiko walked   
side by side to her sister. On a burst of emotion, she   
made a grab for Usagi's arm and clung to it. "Nee-chan?"   
Her watering puppy-dog eyes looked up into vacant blue orbs.  
"What happened to you back there? You scared me."  
  
Usagi stopped. What *had* happened to her back   
there? "I don't know A-chan. Demo... there is one thing   
I do know," she said as she slowly petted her head. "You   
don't have to worry. I'll never let what happened today   
repeat itself again."  
  
"Honto?"  
  
She smiled. "Honto."  
  
Akiko's lips shaped themselves into a smile. She   
did a little hop of joy as she giggled in happiness in   
response to Usagi's answer. Now they could go home and   
enjoy the apples that she had gotten. "Ringo?" she asked   
herself aloud as she suddenly realized she wasn't carrying   
the bag she had bought at the market.  
  
"Ringo?" Usagi repeated curiously. "What about   
ringo?"  
  
Akiko sniffed and passed her index finger under   
her nose. "Well," she began. "You see... you had been   
kinda depressed lately and I wanted to cheer you up, so...   
I went to the market today and I went to look for something   
to get you when I saw these apples. And, well, I remembered  
that they are your favorite fruit so I bought you a dozen   
of them but now- now I can't seem to find the bag anywhere   
because I think I must have left behind when you were...   
well... " She just trailed off.  
  
"Gomen ne, A-chan." Usagi said as she hugged her   
imotou. "I thank you for your thought, though." Her eyes   
widened as an idea sparked in her brain. "Tell you what,   
how 'bout I treat you to some green tea ice-cream on our   
way home?"  
  
'Home,' Akiko thought smiling to herself. She   
loved it. Raising her head to look at her Onee-chan she   
nodded. "HAI!"  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"Tadaima..." Usagi and Akiko called simultaneously   
as they came home. They discarded their geta and walked   
into the hallway.  
  
"Nee-chan, I'm gonna go to my room now." Akiko   
gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Since you don't have   
to attend any parties tonight, I suggest you get a good   
night's rest." She started to back step in the direction   
of her room. "Kyotsukette!!"  
  
Usagi raised her hand and waived. "Hai! Anata mo!"  
  
Turning in the opposite direction, she began to   
walk towards her room. All in all, she had to admit her   
life wasn't as bad off as she thought. She might even begin  
to like living as a geisha. She would grow used to it.   
It would all be different now, because *this* time, she   
would actually want to be a geisha.  
  
'Yes,' she thought as her hand slid the shouji   
screen open. 'She would be the best geisha there ever was.'  
Smiling happily at her conclusion she looked into her room,   
her sanctuary, and found it- in disarray?  
  
Stepping in carefully, Usagi looked to either side   
as she tried to find a clue of what had happened. And there  
it was... a man was bent over her drawers, shuffling through  
her stuff.  
  
"DARE KA?!" Usagi yelled in anger at the intruder.   
Then, she almost jumped out of her skin as the most   
recognizable pair of midnight-blue eyes stared back at her   
with mirth.  
  
"O-ha-you," he called in a carefree singsong manner   
that made Usagi's temper rise.  
  
"Darien?" she asked through clenched teeth. "What   
the *hell* do *you* think you're doing here?!"  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" He tilted his head playfully   
at her. "I'm packing your stuff."  
  
Her heart stopped for a second. 'No,' he mind   
screamed. She must not hope, she must not assume. "Yes,"   
she said as she worked her suddenly dry throat. "I see   
that. But why?"  
  
"Because I can." He answered as he turned his   
grinning face back to his task. "Also, because I'm in a   
hurry and we have a plane to catch."  
  
"Wha- what do you mean *we*?"  
  
"Oh, didn't your grandmother tell you?" He asked   
innocently. 'She's so cute when she's all mixed up.' He   
thought to himself. He was enjoying seeing the mixture shock  
and anger written all over Usagi's face. "You no longer   
work here. You now work for me."  
  
Usagi felt faint as she took a step back to try and   
steady herself. "You? You bought me off of Obaa-san?!   
How- how could you?"  
  
"Well... I like to think of it as taking advantage   
of a bargain sale," he paused to wink at her. "Seeing as   
your Obaa-sama has no use for a pregnant geisha."  
  
Usagi eyes grew wide as her face turned red. "Wha-   
what are you talking about? I'm not pregnant! BAKA!"  
  
"Well," Darien looked at her for a moment, an all-  
knowing secretive smile spreading through his sensual lips.   
"Maybe not now, demo... don't you want to have kids some   
day? And believe me, at the rate we'll be going, it won't   
be long."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Usagi answered quickly  
as she felt heat rush to her cheeks. She felt so embarrassed  
that she could have sworn her white make-up had turned pink.  
"I- I don't understand how you can afford this; how can you   
afford me?!!"  
  
He walked over to her dresser as the room became   
silent. "When I was little my dad told me that my grand-  
father -who was a very rich man- had disinherited him for   
a reason he still refuses to me. He would tell me stories   
of the many struggles he had go through in order to acquire   
enough money to live comfortably. Dad liked to drill into   
my head the idea of beginning my fortune from youth and so,   
I worked every type of job -honest, mind you- and learned   
how to invest my money properly so that it wouldn't just   
sit in a bank and collect dust. And now... " He turned to   
her, showing his beautiful serene smile. "-Through many   
years of good investments and hard work, I have finally   
been able to buy something that I wouldn't have been able   
to acquire otherwise."  
  
"I- I still don't- " She began to ask as she grabbed  
her head within her hands. He had just labeled her as   
property! Was she basically in the same category as a sofa   
for him? "Why are you doing this?" she cried.  
  
"Do I have to spell everything out for you today?"   
He slowly approached her shaking body. "I'm doing this   
because I love you and I want to spend every day, for the   
rest of my life, with you by my side."  
  
"You... love me?" She shook her head in denial.   
"But I thought I was just an obsession that you had."  
  
"Maybe you were in the beginning," he admitted.   
"However, somewhere along the line I got to know who you   
really were and I loved being around you it. You made me   
feel as if I belonged not just here -in this place- but   
everywhere. Does that make sense?" he asked with   
uncertainty.  
  
Maybe she didn't love him anymore. He shouldn't   
have waited so long to make up his mind. 'But what had he   
been so unsure of?' Her feelings towards him? 'Yes, a   
little.' His feelings towards her? 'Yes, that was why.   
He didn't want to be hurt again, so he hid his feelings   
-even from himself.' Maybe... it was too late.  
  
He looked at her bent her. "U- Usagi?" His hand   
slowly reached for her chin in order to raise her head.   
Her watery eyes met his. 'She's crying!' He rubbed his   
thumb on her cheek and began to wipe away her tears.   
"Usa-ko?" he asked again.  
  
Usagi sniffed as she cried, a jittery smile forming   
on her lips. She began to hiccup as her crying slowly   
turned to laughter. "Baka," she called him as she threw a   
weak punch at his chest.  
  
Darien felt his world fall apart. He had waited   
too long. She didn't love him anymore.  
  
"Baka!" she called again, except this time, she   
threw her arms around him as she nuzzled her head against   
his warm chest. "Couldn't you have told me this sooner?   
I've gone through *hell* because of you!"  
  
He had thought she was angry with him but her   
attitude didn't match his judgment. Looking at her face,   
he saw the smile he had longed to see since the first time   
he met her: A smile that not only showed on her lips, but   
also in her eyes.  
  
He laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. "So, does   
that mean you still love me?"  
  
Usagi maneuvered her hands around his shoulders   
-towards the back of his neck- then, dove her fingers into   
his hair. Biting her lip, she grinned as her hands gently   
pushed down his head until it met hers. "Aishiteru." She   
whispered as her lips timidly inched towards his.  
  
Euphoric. There was no other way to describe how   
her lips made him feel after such a long abstinence. They   
were so soft and sweet. 'Oh!' his mind cried as he wrapped   
his arms around her waist, binding her to him, as he   
deepened the kiss. How he had missed her feminine charms.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"Done," Usagi said as she closed the last luggage.   
"I can't believe you brought this many suitcases."  
  
"I can't believe we had to use them all." He cocked  
his eyebrow at her. "Are you sure you're gonna need this   
many kimonos?"  
  
"Of course." She gave him an incredulous look.   
"Do you know how much each of those cost?!"  
  
"If they're included in what I had to pay, I can   
make an estimate on their price."  
  
She pouted. "Do you have to repeat the fact that   
you bought he off?"  
  
"I didn't mean it in a bad way." He took her hand   
in his, his fingers slowly intertwining with hers.   
"Gomen ne."  
  
"I know. I just don't like feeling like an object."   
She lowered her eyes momentarily. "You may have forgotten,   
but I'll never forget the fact that I've been sold since I   
was a child."  
  
"Gomennasai."  
  
"Iie. Oh!" she said as she gently disentangled her   
hand from his. "I forgot I have to talk to Obaa-san before   
I leave."  
  
"Alright. You go do that." He gave her a quick   
kiss on her lips. "In the mean time I'll place these bags   
in the car."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
"Obaa-san," Usagi called from behind the shouji   
screen. "Can I speak with you?"  
  
She heard a shuffling noise before her grandmother   
responded, "Hai."  
  
Usagi walked into the room, bowed, and sat herself   
in front of the woman whose house she had grown up in. "I-   
I wanted to ask you a question before I left." She fumbled   
with her hands as she spoke. "I know you already know I'm   
leaving. I mean- of course you do." 'You sold me, after   
all.' She finished for herself. "But, I have to know. Why   
did you sell me? I know I was never a good enough geisha   
in your eyes, but why?" She pushed on. "Why did you?"  
  
Her grandmother looked at her for a moment. Then, she  
smiled. "Was it in bad judgment for me to have sold you?"  
  
"No I- "  
  
"I believe what you're trying to ask me is the   
reason why I sold you at a loss, ne?"  
  
She lowered her head. "Hai."  
  
Obaa-san laughed. "How else was he supposed to   
afford you? With interest ratings, the cost of your kimonos,  
room and board rent and the fact that we give you work... it  
would have been nearly impossible. Why, the amount he gave   
me doesn't even cover two-thirds of what you're worth!"  
  
"Then," she pleaded. "Tell me why you did it?"  
  
"Usagi-san," Obaa-san began. "In case you haven't   
noticed, you were never cut out for this type of life. You   
belong in a world were you don't have to pretend to be   
something you are not. So wipe off that make-up which you   
never should have been made to wear." She commanded. "I   
said it once, and I'll say it again. You were never cut out  
to be a geisha."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Quietly, she sneaked into her imotou's room. She   
looked like such an angel when she slept. Akiko *was* a   
geisha. No doubt about it. She smiled proudly when she   
remembered that she was this little girl's big sister. She   
stepped forward, but took back her step. 'No, it would be   
easier this way.' Stepping out of the room, she smiled at   
Akiko's sleeping form. "Sayounara."  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Walking back into her empty room, she took one last   
look around. In a couple of days, a new maiko or even a   
geisha would be making this same room theirs. 'It didn't   
matter,' she thought as she took off her wig and placed it   
on the dresser. 'None of it did.'  
  
She knelt next to her water tub and with her sponge,  
began to wipe away her make-up. Every wipe signifying her   
release from a life she had never wanted to be a part of.   
She wiped and scrubbed every inch of her face until not one   
trace of the white layer was left.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Darien stood next to the car, his gaze never   
straying from the front door. 'What's taking so long?' he   
thought. Maybe she was double guessing herself. 'Maybe- '   
but that thought was interrupted as the door opened and a   
woman in a kimono stepped out.  
  
Her eyes were the color of a clear blue sky, her   
face was pale but had this rosy tint to it, and all this   
was framed by the golden waves her hair created as it   
cascaded from her head. "U- Usako?" He asked incredulously   
as he came closer to her. This was the first time he had   
ever seen her real face.  
  
He came close to her and wove his hand into her   
hair, bringing her head close enough so that he could kiss   
each inch of her creamy skin. Usagi smiled brightly.   
'Yes,' she thought. This *was* a new beginning. One, she   
would not regret.  
  
  
THE END!  
  
*^v^*^v^*^v^*^v^*^v^*^v^*^v^*^v^*^v^*^v^*^v^*^v^*^v^*^v^*  
Author's Notes for (4/21/01) - the last ones:  
I HAVE FINALLY CONCLUDED GEISHA, AND YES... I ENDED UP  
WRITING THE HAPPY ENDING. AREN'T YOU GLAD I CHOSE TO GO   
WITH VERSION #1? ANYWAY, I'M SOON GONNA BE STARTING MY   
NEXT FIC. I HAVEN'T GOTTEN AROUND TO IT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN  
WRITING THIS UP. DEMO, DON'T WORRY... I HAVE A FEELING THAT  
EVEN THOUGH THERE'S NO MORE GEISHA, YOU'LL LIKE MY NEXT   
STORY JUST AS MUCH. ^.~  
  
UNTIL NEXT TIME!  
ATT: Hikari-chan  
AKA: Machi NO Tenshi  
  
  



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